QuickShots II - Chronicles of Samantha Shepard
by Desert Sunrise
Summary: Samantha Shepard sideline stories and other miscellaneous pieces from alternate POVs that fit within the Chronicles storyline, including, amongst other things, the backgrounds of my key OCs, where they came from and how they linked into the main story. You never know what else you might see here... All comments, critiques, thoughts, and prods more than welcome.
1. Misplaced Faith

**Note: This is a replacement chapter. Upon some very helpful feedback and ensuing conversation with AlsoKnownAsMatt, I pulled the angst piece I had here and moved it to a non-Chronicle location, because it truly does not fit with my universe... so it is now in a separate work titled "Random Bits." It is a much better home for my AU wanderings. :-)**

Timestamp: This happens immediately following the destruction of the Normandy, over time from Ch 2 of Only Hope Remains through chapter 7 of Working with the Enemy.

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><p><strong>Misplaced Faith<strong>

Ashley watched Liara snatch up her helmet and walk purposefully to the door of the Madrid. The minute the hatch was open wide enough to step through, the Asari stepped out and almost immediately vanished into the crowds of Arcturus Station. Not once did she look back as Ashley watched Garrus and Riana hurry to keep up with her on their way out the door. She glanced at Karin Chakwas and saw the woman struggling not to cry, so she walked over. "There's a lot of anger pent-up in that normally serene blue body, isn't there?"

Karin started and turned to the Lieutenant. "Yes, there is. I worry about her. About how she'll cope with the loss of..." Karin paused and shook her head. "For her, Shepard and the Normandy became everything. Over the last year her world has shifted dramatically. Twice. Maybe even three times if you count the loss of her archeology career at the start of it all. That's a lot for anyone to handle." Karin pressed her fingertips hard against her eyebrows and traced them outward, continuing all the way to her temples in an attempt to push away the headache that was quickly gaining purchase. "All we can do is pray that she finds her way through this."

Ashley nodded. "She's strong, Doc. She'll make it. And she's got Garrus." Ashley's eyes closed as she whispered, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardships as the pathway to peace."

As Ashley was speaking, an Arcturus Station official had come in the door and was requesting the Normandy crew begin moving toward the debriefing rooms. Karin laid a hand on Ashley's shoulder, interrupting the Serenity Prayer. "I fear Liara will face many more hardships than joy in the coming months. We need to try and stay in touch with her."

"Yeah. I tried to get her to stay until the debriefs were done. Told her I could probably get a couple weeks' leave and go with her." Ashley sighed. "But no way she was going to wait. I can't say I blame her, but whether they go now or eight hours from now..." Her voice cracked and she squeezed her eyes closed for a moment and took a deep breath before she continued. "...they're still only going to find a body. Assuming they find anything at all." With a final shake of her head, she glanced one last time at Karin and saw the same pain reflected in the doctor's eyes as what she felt. They had lost an important part of themselves that day. Something they doubted they could ever replace.

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><p>The debriefs were horrible; having to relive the torturous attack. Ashley berated herself for leaving before everyone was off the Normandy, thinking she should have checked. She should have looked for the skipper. As Liara was directing everyone into the escape pods, she told Ash that Shepard had gone to get Joker. It was just a fleeting thought... 'Go get the skipper' had run across her brain but was gone just as quickly, replaced with what Ashley was sure was the truth. The commander knew how to take care of herself, but Ashley also knew it always helped to have someone covering your six. Ashley didn't think she'd ever be able to forgive herself. The debriefing official was sympathetic and reminded Lieutenant Williams she did the right thing. Her responsibility was commanding the squad of marines, the ground team, and it was her job to accompany them and ensure the mission went on. He had told her, "Shit happens. It's war. We lose people. Don't blame yourself, blame the enemy."<p>

When she walked out of the debrief, she was surprised to find Councilor Anderson waiting for her. "Lieutenant Williams. A word?"

She promptly walked over to him and stuck her hand out. "Good to see you, Sir. Wish it was under better circumstances."

A pained look flashed across his face as he shook her hand in welcome. "Yes, well. It is what it is. The loss of any ship is tragic, but the Normandy? She was top of the line." He paused and let out a deep sigh before he continued. "You know Shepard was much more than just a commander to me. I worked with her mother and watched her grow up from a distance. I followed her career and handpicked her for this job. Pulled her out of a bad spot to get her back on track."

Ashley nodded but didn't say anything, unsure yet where the conversation was going. Anderson sniffed and continued. "Sorry, Lieutenant. I didn't call you over here to reminisce. I'd like to offer you a job as my military aide." The look on Ashley's face told him she was going to decline, so he rushed ahead.

"Before you say no, hear me out. Hackett's working on some sort of special project. I'm not sure yet exactly what it is, but we'll need someone to run it and we want it to be you. We can't do that if you're locked into some other three-year assignment. As my aide, as soon as he gets the project running, I can request a new aide and turn you loose."

Ashley crossed her arms and stared at the floor in thought, wondering what the project could possibly be. She looked back up at Anderson, "Any way I can talk to Admiral Hackett about it before I say yes?" She saw Anderson grin as his eyes flicked up over her left shoulder. She turned to see the Admiral standing a ways behind her and snapped to attention. "Sir, I take that's a yes?"

The Admiral nodded. "Yes, Lieutenant. If you'll follow me, please."

Ashley cast a quick glance of farewell to Anderson and promptly followed the Admiral into a secure briefing room. He sat her down and discussed the real reason they had the Normandy out in the Terminus Systems. The remaining Geth and the ships that had gone missing were just the start of their problems. Small colonies were also falling off the grid. Communications were going dead and supply ships were rerouted with all their cargo because those same colonies seemed abandoned when the transports arrived. No signs of struggle, no indications of pirate or slaver activity. Just gone. Hackett looked at her. "I'll be honest, Lieutenant. Many of the colonies already have anti-Alliance leanings and I'm afraid they're being recruited by Cerberus. With the Geth still out there along with the potential Reaper threat, we can't afford to add Cerberus into the mix. We need to get someone on the inside out there to find out what the hell's going on. It'll be dangerous; you'd be on your own. You won't have a squad. I'd love to send an N7, but those colonists are out there to get away from the Alliance. There's no way they'll accept an N7 Operative."

Ashley smirked, "But a brand new baby lieutenant as a liaison isn't so much of a threat?"

Hackett nodded. "Exactly. We're just trying to find a colony that's willing to accept a bit of Alliance aid. Money, equipment, colonial defenses. That sort of thing. You'd be part of the package deal once we get one put together. Sort of a one-person oversight committee, purportedly to make sure they're actually using the resources and not reselling them."

"Ok, Sir. But why me?" Ashley looked to Hackett with honest curiosity on her face.

The Admiral shrugged. "Because Shepard had an eye for talent and she wanted you on her squad. Then she fought to get you promoted. And I've seen nothing that would disprove her notion that you're worth the investment. I trust her judgment, and if you're good enough in Shepard's eyes, then you're good enough for me."

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><p>Ashley suffered through almost fifteen months of being Anderson's aide. The job itself wasn't horrible, but the civilian aide was Udina and given their previous interaction with the lockdown of the Normandy, Ashley was not a fan. Fortunately, they generally moved in separate circles and Ashley had to admit she learned a lot about how the council worked and how strained the military-civilian relationships could be during times of uncertainty. She certainly couldn't complain about her accommodations on the Citadel. Normally ambassadorial aides were more senior officers, so she was living well for a lieutenant. Finally the day came when she was summoned to Anderson's office and when she arrived, Hackett was waiting for her. She was headed for Horizon.<p>

Her welcome at the colony was mixed and it didn't take her long to figure out there were basically three factions. There was the group that was happy to see her; the ones who weren't there to avoid the Alliance but for the adventure of colonial living and the unexplored. They were nervous about the rumors of disappearing colonists and were eager for aid. The next group was composed of the folks who just didn't care one way or another; happy to take assistance from whomever was willing to offer it, as long as it came with no strings attached. They were the true adventurists and were out there just to prove they could do it. Then there was the third group; the malcontents. This was the group that Ashley was concerned with because they actively despised the Alliance, for any number of reasons. Thing was, the group wasn't a large enough percentage to account for any real threat of a Cerberus defection. Therefore, what she reported back to the Alliance was a mixed blessing in that since Cerberus wasn't mining colonies for personnel, something else had to be going on, but what?

Since her arrival, the colony had flourished with the new Alliance support, accepting everything from school supplies to perimeter anti-personnel defense cannons. The one thing that continued to plague them was the anti-ship weapon network. It was supposed to deter pirate and slaver attacks, but they couldn't get it calibrated properly. Ashley was striding through the colony with one of the colony's electronics experts. "Lilith, we've got a problem."

The woman shook her head, "Still can't calibrate the targeting matrix?"

Ashley rolled her eyes and responded, "Those defense towers are useless if we don't get it figured out."

"Sorry, Ashley, but getting our communications systems back on line takes priority." Lilith shrugged in apology.

Ashley stopped and Lilith stopped and turned to her. "Yeah, ok. I'm surprised certain people haven't tried to blame that one on me, too."

Lilith smiled. "You know some of the people out here don't trust the Alliance. Don't take it personally. You've only been here a few months. Give 'em some time. They'll warm up."

Just then, a rumble from the heavens interrupted their discussion and they looked up to see a black cloud forming rapidly in the sky. Ashley's mind jumped back in time to Eden Prime, remembering the last time something caused an unexplained atmospheric disturbance. Purely as a reflex action, her hand reached over her shoulder and she grabbed her assault rifle. She looked through the scope and saw a massive ship coming out of the unnatural black rolling cloud. "Shit! Get everyone to the safe house." As a huge cloud of what looked like swarming bees appeared, moving quickly in their direction, Ashley's orders became more urgent. "I'll cover you! Run!"

The colonists scattered and Ashley started a fighting withdrawal, her assault rifle firing in rapid controlled bursts but having little effect. One of the things stung her and she felt her muscles slow down and then refuse to respond altogether. She watched helplessly as more and more of the colonists were affected and the unknown ship flew overhead, sounding like it eventually settled on the other side of the colony. In her head, Lieutenant Williams screamed in frustration, able to see and hear but completely unable to do anything to help. She suddenly realized she knew that ship. It was the same configuration as the vessel she saw from the Normandy's data drive recordings that Admiral Hackett had mysteriously obtained. Whoever had killed the Normandy was also collecting the colonists and as she stood there completely paralyzed, she understood she may get first-hand experience as to what was happening to them.

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><p>She listened to the sounds of gunfire in the distance and tried to determine who the hell could have gotten to Horizon so quickly to lend support. She had no idea how much time had passed when her muscles finally started to relax and she heard the first booms of the anti-ship guns. She didn't know who had gotten them firing, but she didn't care, she was just ecstatic they were working! Her eyes were dry and she involuntarily blinked, causing her to realize she was regaining control of her own body. She fought the paralysis and slowly started moving as she heard the ship's engines fire up in the distance. As she moved, her body responded better and better, but she was still cautious. As she worked her way across the compound, she saw strange beings, unlike anything she'd ever seen before, staring at the sky in the dawning comprehension they had been abandoned. Knowing they were somehow responsible for all the missing colonists, Ashley took no chances and cut them down without remorse. She glanced up and watched the ship vanish into the sky and an eerie quiet settled over the colony.<p>

She moved faster in the silence, realizing the enemy was dead, and could hear one of the dissidents, a mechanic named Delan, yelling just around the corner. She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a female voice mention Shepard, then moved in a more controlled fashion when she heard Delan answer, "Shepard? Wait. I know that name. Yeah, you're some big Alliance hero."

Shepard's head snapped around and huge smile lit her face when Ashley walked out and spoke, "Commander Shepard. Captain of the Normandy. The first human Spectre. Savior of the Citadel. You're in the presence of a god, Delan. Back from the dead."

Delan crossed his arms in loathing. "All the good people we lost and you get left behind. Figures. Screw this. I'm done with you Alliance types." He threw his arms up in disgust and stalked off.

Ash walked up to the commander and looked at her warily, "I thought you were dead, Shepard. We all did." She stuck her hand out and the commander grabbed it and pulled Ash in for a hug.

"So did I, Ash. I've been in a coma for two years...just woke up not too long ago. Damn good to see you!" Shepard still had a big smile on her face.

Ashley looked at the woman before her, all smiles and obviously happy at the reunion but Ash just couldn't believe it. Two years and not a peep of her survival reached the Alliance. She was sure Anderson or Hackett would have mentioned it had they known. She had been working with them too closely for the last two years for them to have kept that a secret from her. Shepard, or whoever nursed her back to health, had to have worked very hard to keep her survival a secret. Ashley felt betrayed. This woman had been her best friend. Ashley had attended her memorial service and cried like a baby when she met Hannah and felt like she was looking at Samantha, they looked so much alike. Ashley suddenly got angry for having been kept in the dark. "I would have followed you anywhere, Commander. I thought you were gone...I...you were more than our commander. Why didn't you try to contact me? Why didn't you let me know you were alive?"

"I tried, Ash. I asked Anderson where you were, and he wouldn't tell me. All he'd say was that you were on a classified mission."

Ashley took a step back. No way Anderson would have kept that information from the Shepard they all knew and loved. They had all heard the rumors and seen the intel reports, but at the time Ashley had dismissed them as impossible, a case of mistaken identity or some imposter trying to cash in on Shepard's fame. Now she wasn't so sure. As she looked around the squad that was with the commander, she noticed the Cerberus emblem on Miranda's uniform and instantly understood Anderson's refusal. She practically spit out her response. "Because you're with Cerberus now? I can't believe the reports were right." Ash backed away, shaking her head in disbelief.

Miranda commented, "Reports? So much for security."

Ashley growled, "Alliance Intel said Cerberus could be behind our missing colonies. We got a tip that this one could be the next to get hit. I went to Anderson, but he wouldn't talk. But there were rumors that you weren't dead...and worse, that you were working for the enemy."

"The Alliance abandoned me for dead, Ash. They left me on Alchera along with twenty dead soldiers. Cerberus found me and put me back together. When I woke up, I went to Anderson and the Council; Sparatus wanted my head for treason and the others just wanted me gone, out of Council space and back out into the Terminus. Cerberus is the only organization willing to give me the resources to fight the Collectors, but I'm not working for them. It's my ship, my crew, my mission."

Ash got in Shepard's face, "Your ship? Do you really believe that? Or is it just what Cerberus wants you to think? I wanted to believe that you were alive...I just never expected anything like this. You've turned your back on everything we stood for!" The lieutenant wanted to grab Shepard by the neck and shake some sense into her. It took all of her restraint to not have a go at her right then and there.

"That's bullshit, Ash! They turned their backs on me! I went to them, asking for help and they tossed me out like yesterday's trash. You know me. I'd only do this for the right reason. It's the only way I could find to get into the fight. You saw it yourself... it's the Collectors attacking the colonies, not Cerberus... and they're working for the Reapers!"

Ash shook her head as she responded, "I'd like to believe you, Shepard, but I don't trust Cerberus. And it worries me that you do. What did they do to you? What if they're behind it? What if they're the ones working with the Collectors?" Ashley knew the technology existed in many forms; implants, control chips, you name it. She knew the woman before her was Shepard, but couldn't trust that she was operating under her own free will.

Miranda couldn't stand it; she crossed her arms and commented, "Typical Alliance attitude. So focused on Cerberus that you're blind to the real threat."

Shepard tried to ignore Miranda and kept eye contact with Ashley. "You're letting how you feel about their history get in the way of the facts, Ash. I'm not asking you to trust Cerberus...I'm asking you to trust me."

"How can I trust you, Shepard, when you're working with the enemy? Maybe you feel like you owe Cerberus because they saved you. Doesn't matter. I know where my loyalties lie. I'm an Alliance soldier. It's in my blood. I'm reporting back to the Citadel. I'll let them decide if they believe your story." Ash took another step backward as she finished, preparing to turn and walk away. Her head was reeling with the implications of Shepard being with Cerberus. She had been an adamant defender of Shepard's reputation for all those months, only to be played the fool.

Shepard glanced down to the ground in disappointment. "Ash...Talk to Anderson. He'll tell you I was there. He cut off the treason charge because he still believes in me. Just be sure to tell them what you saw here... the Collectors taking the colonists. Not Cerberus... And Ash?... Ash!" At the sound of the pleading shout, Ashley stopped and looked back as the commander continued. "I'm glad you didn't end up on that damn Collector ship. Even if you don't believe in me, I still believe in you. Keep fighting the good fight. You'll find us on the same side in the end. I promise you that."

Ash sighed sadly, holding onto the hope that in the end Shepard really would prove loyal. She replied, "So long, Commander...and...Good luck." As she walked away, she prayed that her faith in the skipper would turn out to not be misplaced. She just didn't see how.


	2. Riana Iregos - Early Years

**Note: **While writing Little Sister and Misplaced Faith, I started thinking about the various characters and I got inspired to start a series of background pieces for my OCs... This is only the first.

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><p><strong>Riana Iregos - Early Years<strong>

**2135 - T'Soni House Armali**

A young Riana Iregos bounced on the balls of her feet, eagerly awaiting the results of her testing by Captain Relyna T'Lasia of the T'Soni House Armali commandos. At a mere 120 years of age, many thought her presumptuous to assume she would be hired, but Riana knew she wouldn't be just another huntress. She was a Vanguard; a rare specialty among the Asari traditionally found only within the Justicars. Most Asari didn't possess the inclination to attempt the close contact hit-and-run tactics required, preferring to attack from longer ranges with their biotics and enhanced weapons. However, Riana had grown up watching all the Justicar Adventures vids and there was plainly something magical about watching a Justicar call on her power to flash across the screen in a blaze of blue and crush the enemy to the ground. Riana had dreamt of becoming a Justicar until the day she met one in person. It was the worst day of her young life and the Justicar changed her life forever.

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><p><strong>2078 - Ulee, Thessia<strong>

The life of the Justicar seemed so romantic; traveling the stars throughout Asari space, righting wrongs, seeking justice following their unwavering code of more than five thousand sutras. Riana and her friends constantly tried to emulate the moves they watched the Justicars perform in the vids and Riana pestered her biotics instructor about one in particular, the biotic charge. The instructor had repeatedly refused to teach such a dangerous advanced skill to a student of only sixty-three years of age... until Riana did it in class one day, completely by accident. Well, 'by accident' wasn't really an accurate assessment. Riana had been watching the vids again and saw something in the stance of the Justicar just before her charge. Something Riana had never noticed before, like the Justicar was placing her foot in an invisible racer's starting block. Riana knew that several specialized biotic skills were cued by particular motions and body positioning, but thought it odd that something as powerful as a charge could be cued by something as simple as an unusual bend of the toes. Expecting her attempt to turn out the same way as all her previous efforts, Riana was not prepared when she suddenly found herself lying on the floor on the other side of the room with a broken nose and wrist. As the sand from the shattered heavy bag spilled around her and tears of pain streamed down her face, Riana was undeniably ecstatic with her success.

From that day forward, her primary biotics instructor pulled the impulsive student aside and taught her the proper preparations and control mechanisms of the charge, knowing that if she didn't, Riana would do it anyway, unsupervised, and risk not only herself but any others who inadvertently got in her way. It was normally a complicated skill to accomplish and even more difficult to master, requiring a high level of control and a temporary reckless abandonment of the natural desire toward self-preservation, but Riana had a gift for it. After only a few months, Riana's skill in the charge surpassed the instructor's and she had nothing left to teach the impetuous youth regarding the charge. Instead, the instructor focused on martial arts to hone balance and control, along with other biotic skills that used the same basic techniques as the charge, like dodge and flash-step. Riana, having mastered what she considered a key skill set, continued to absorb the romanticized tales of the Justicars, adamant that some day she would join their ranks.

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><p><strong>2090 -<strong> **Ulee, Thessia**

Riana was seventy-five years old and preparing to attend university for advanced biotics training when Justicar Davos came to the house. Each of her Asari parents had born a child and Riana had a younger sister, Aresia. Aresia had been unusually pale as of late and Riana had thought her ill, but when she and her parents returned from the hospital, Aresia was not with them and Davos had followed in trail. Riana hadn't understood then, and wondered why a Justicar was now standing in their foyer instead of her sister. At first she was concerned, yet excited, thinking that somehow her parents had met Davos and convinced her to come home to meet their eldest daughter. Her excitement waned as her mother sat her down and started to explain about Ardat Yakshi. About how her father apparently carried the gene and Aresia had manifested the disease and wouldn't be able to come home again for a very long time, if ever, and then solely for very short visits. Riana was then told Justicar Davos was there to evaluate her, to determine if she also carried the gene for the disease.

Riana didn't remember many specifics from that day, other than long, repeated interrogations by the Justicar, eventually culminating in a meld. By the end of the multiple sessions, Riana was a typical recalcitrant young maiden, tired and uncooperative, and the meld ended up being forced after she had refused to voluntarily comply. Her romanticized visions of the Justicar order were shattered that day with her realization that Justicars would do whatever was necessary to meet the demands of their code, to include the highly taboo act of a forced meld on an unwilling participant. In that solitary moment, the Justicar order changed from the defenders of the Asari Republics to a group of vigilantes, above the law and wreckers of families. Justicar Davos had apologized in the end, having found Riana completely free of the Ardat Yakshi influence, but in Riana's eyes it was too little, too late. Her sister gone, a depression settled over the family and Riana spent the next couple of months suffering from headaches and frequent bloody noses from the force of the meld inflicted upon her. She couldn't utilize her biotics for a full two months after the incident without precipitating the symptoms and she felt violated and lost.

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><p><strong>2100 - University of Serrice<strong>

Riana's lifetime dream had been ripped away from her in a matter of just a few hours. No longer knowing where her life was headed, she delayed starting University until after she could utilize her biotics again, and once she arrived on campus, she lacked her previous enthusiasm for the biotics development program she had selected. It had been a ten-year, directionless daily grind of just going through the motions before she once again discovered any motivation, and it was through no active seeking on her part. One of her biotics instructors, Huntress Elzia Trani, was teaching the basics behind the biotic charge and noticed that one of her students was not participating in a satisfactory manner in the practicals.

The instructor frowned as she stepped crisply to the unmotivated student. "Maiden Iregos. Your performance in this class is not such that you can afford to get a poor evaluation on your participation score. Whether you want to or not, I would suggest you at least attempt to perform the biotic charge as specified."

Riana sighed, wishing she didn't feel the need to explain herself. "I'm sorry, Huntress. Performing a charge brings back unpleasant memories and I have no desire to perform a charge ever again."

Trani's eyes opened a bit with that remark. "Perform again? Are you telling me you already know how and have previously successfully completed a charge? Without ever having received University instruction on such an upper-level skill?"

Riana said nothing, merely closing her eyes against the painful memories and nodding her head.

Now, Trani was intrigued, more by her actions than the spoken words. "Who taught you such a thing?"

Riana's eyes opened, though pinched with the emotional torment she still felt deep in her soul at the loss of her sister. In a subdued voice, she told an abbreviated story she had only told her closest friends, about wanting to be a Justicar. About learning all she could about the various skills she saw demonstrated in all the vids. About Davos ripping her family apart and shredding her dreams. And about how she had never performed another biotic charge since. Huntress Trani's eyes softened as Riana relayed her story, realizing the student had never properly dealt with the ramifications of the Justicar's actions. "I see," she said plainly. "If you are not opposed, I would like to speak with you after class. In private. Sometime soon."

The sorrowful expression on Trani's face and the quiet tone of her voice was soothing, and for the first time in a long while, Riana felt the vise-grip around her heart loosen ever so slightly with the sharing of the burden she had carried so long alone. The opportunity did not arise until the end of that week and, after-hours, she found herself in the private office of Professor Trani. Elzia welcomed her in and directed her to a chair at a small table loaded with various fruits and other refreshments. Riana's eyes widened at the unexpected offerings. Elzia smiled gently. "I felt we might be here a while and didn't want to have our discussion interrupted by hunger."

Riana felt a knot of dread forming in her stomach and her trepidation must have shown on her face, as Trani immediately set about calming her nerves. "Don't concern yourself over nothing, young one. I am not here to pry out your long dark secrets. I want instead to discuss your future."

Riana stared at the table, unsure what her teacher expected. In the ensuing silence, Elzia shook her head sadly. "I understand you lost faith in the Justicars, but that should not cause you to lose faith in yourself. Not many can master advance skills like the charge and it indicates to me the huge amount of potential you possess. I would be remiss if I did not counsel you on your career choices."

Riana set her jaw for a moment as her anger at the Justicars flashed through her eyes. Elzia sensed something coming so remained quiet, carefully observing the expressions crossing her student's face. Riana practically spat her words when they finally came. "I will never be a Justicar. I will not condone the disguised cruelty of their order. I do not believe they mete out justice... only punishment, and not always befitting the supposed crime." She sneered in anger. "I cannot believe I actually _desired_ to be one of them. I was an ignorant child and nothing you can possibly say will change my mind."

Desperately wanting to change the tone of the conversation, Elzia reassured the young Asari and carefully observed Riana's facial expressions and body language as she spoke. "I have no intention of attempting to do so. Instead, I want to help you explore your other options. Your biotics are very strong and I feel it would be unfortunate if you chose to waste such talent by becoming a dancer or some other such thing." As Riana looked ready to protest, Elzia hurried to continue. "There are _many_ areas open to one who can master biotics to such a level. There is private security; there is any number of mercenary groups..." Elzia saw a flash of distaste cross Riana's face, so skipped many of the things she was going to list and went straight to her strongest option. "... or, for those of good conscience and sturdy constitution, there is always the possibility of joining one of the elite commando squads of the high houses of Thessia."

Trani was relieved when she actually saw something akin to interest light Riana's face. "Ah. So. Commando it is, then. Very good. That will give us a direction in your training, and seeing as you have already come close to mastering the charge, I would think as a Vanguard you would stand an excellent chance to be accepted at any number of houses. It is a unique skill set, especially in one so young."

Riana's eyes reflected challenge when she finally spoke again. "Whose commandos are the best?"

Knowing Riana had found a new goal toward which to focus her energies and trying to not let her approval at the change of attitude show too blatantly, the professor smiled only lightly. "There are a number of houses with excellent commandos, but not all of those also have the favor of the Matriarchy. If you desire to be well placed, I would recommend one of three, T'Syria, T'Lura or T'Soni, with T'Soni probably being the most reputable and the most difficult to gain entrance to. Their standards are exceptionally high. The house has been long established and Matriarch Benezia is well known and highly respected."

Elzia stood and Riana went to stand with her, assuming the discussion was over, only to be stopped by a hand gesture. "Not so quick, Riana. We will need to adjust your course of study..." A scowl replaced the instructor's smile as she grabbed her student log book. "Your performance to date will not win you a position, but I have judged this to be more lack of motivation than a lack of ability. That will have to change if you desire my recommendation to one of the high houses. It is not an easy path you choose. The average course of study is thirty years, but for one of standing such as house T'Soni... I would add an additional five or ten years of specialized study based on their personalized training curriculum, so you know what to expect once you arrive for testing."

Riana's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Another thirty-five or forty years of training?"

Huntress Trani stifled a bout of laughter at Riana's dismay. "If you desire to join the best, you must _be_ the best, and that requires years of demanding training and practice. Once you attain the appropriate level of proficiency, you must maintain it until they have an opening they need to fill, though I believe the T'Soni commandos almost always have a few vacancies. They never employ anyone who doesn't fully meet their requirements, just to fill a slot, and their standards never waiver. The matriarch, her house stewards and her commando captains all have very exacting performance expectations, so many get tired of the constant demands for perfection and seek another post. The average term of employment tends to be short except for only the most dedicated commandos. Will this be a problem?" Trani fell silent, waiting on a response.

Riana masked her previous surprise and responded quickly. "No, Huntress. If that is what it takes, I will give you that and more. I am tired of the same shit every day, not knowing where I am going and not having a firm purpose or direction. I will be a commando of House T'Soni. If you are willing to train me, I vow to you that I will succeed."

"Good." Professor Trani flipped open the log book to a blank page. "Then let's get you started."

The two sat together much of the evening, with Trani collecting much more detail on what training Riana had accomplished. When they were finally done, Trani leaned back in her chair and silently studied the youthful Asari before her. Being firmly entrenched in her melancholy, Riana had missed the 'happy early years' of university and had never even gone out with friends to get the standard tattoos. Despite her lack of any definitive facial markings and all her youthful trauma, to a casual observer she appeared a relatively typical Asari maiden... belying her extraordinary biotic ability. She was light and lean with superb musculature and Trani was sure she would make an excellent commando. Riana was fast when she was motivated and had an added bonus of being left-handed. It was less common and could provide a slight advantage during combat because opponents failed to look for the correct body cues, always looking to the wrong half of the body for that slight movement that would give away her next attack. The advantage never lasted long, but for a well-trained fighter those few precious seconds could determine who dealt the first blow, and if combined with a biotic charge, that blow could ensure victory.

Riana reviewed the training plan she was expected to execute with some trepidation. She realized it was probably less than what would have been required as a Justicar, but still much more than she anticipated. At least she didn't have to memorize a five-thousand-sutra code, but reading the list, she quickly understood why it took thirty or more years to complete commando qualifications. As a Vanguard, mastery of the biotic charge was just the beginning; she would have to _perfect_ it, along with the dodge, dash and flash-step. They were all related to the charge, but each had its own advantages and shortfalls, as well as its own particular cues that she would have to practice until she could do them not only well, but as a reflex; without consciously thinking of the need. They would require practice to the point of excellence, and that meant a lot of training time... and most likely a lot of recovery and healing time early on until she developed at least a core competency in each. There were also other biotic skills that needed to be brought up to the same levels, like stasis, a heavy biotic blast, and a grenade _lift_ augmentation. And those were just the minimum requirements. There were also various weapons' competencies she would have to establish, amongst a multitude of other skills like survival training, land and star navigation, and Zero-G operations. Each additional skill she brought to the table would add to her testing score and improve her chances of selection. The area in which she was most lacking was in hand-to-hand and martial arts. Her primary school biotics instructor had taught her the basics of one of the standard forms, strictly as a mechanism for improving her ability to concentrate. The T'Soni house required her to be proficient in at least three separate disciplines, with a mastery of at least one. Riana's head started to hurt trying to calculate the number of hours she would have to put in on the training floor to accomplish such a feat, but she was not dissuaded. She finally glanced up to meet Huntress Trani's eyes, alit with some sentiment Riana could not discern. She caged her own emotions and asked, "So when do we start?"

Trani no longer suppressed her reaction, her laughter dancing through her eyes as she smiled widely. "The last student I showed that to got up and walked out in disbelief, thinking I made it up to discourage her from pursuing that particular course of action. She never completed her training and never got accepted to the commandos. Last I heard, she had joined the Eclipse sisters and ended up off-world somewhere." Trani's smile faded and the joy left her face. "She had such potential. I never saw her again and I believe she perished on her second assignment. I would not have the same fate befall you. If you accept this challenge and agree to take me on as your advisor, I will make sure you get the appropriate instructors to ensure your success."

Riana glanced at her professor with a question evident in her eyes. "Why are you willing to do this for me?"

Trani's face held a wistful expression. "Because I was once in your place and never had such an offer extended to me. I trained and tested based on the standard university curriculum and was found wanting." She shook her head. "I was not bad. I simply wasn't good enough for House T'Soni and could not wait to test again. I needed a job right away so I ended up with a lesser house for a number of years before coming here to teach." She laughed at Riana's expression. "Do not worry, young one. I am content with where I am and learned from my own mistakes just what it takes to make it in a great house. I used my lack of success to ensure others can achieve their dreams. I have helped a few get there since my failure. There is great goodness in that and I am happy."

Riana stood solemnly and bowed deeply. "You honor me, Matron. I will not disappoint."

* * *

><p><strong>2135 - T'Soni House Armali<strong>

Professor Trani delivered as promised and Riana took on every challenge with gusto. Riana studied for thirty-five years before Trani felt she was adequately prepared and ready to apply for a commando position at House T'Soni. Riana felt ready when she arrived at the gates of the T'Soni training facility, but even though her mentor had warned her, she was still surprised by the large number of applicants. Their first step was to demonstrate their competencies on all the required weapons, martial arts forms and biotics skills. The candidates stood side-by-side in a large arena, with judges above, watching with a critical eye as they progressed through the required maneuvers. If the judges or any of the commandos interspersed with the candidates on the ground detected weakness, the applicant was singled out to leave the field, dreams of being a T'Soni commando dashed by reality. Those who passed the basics advanced to demonstrating all the extra skills they claimed to possess, ensuring none had stretched the truth regarding their abilities. There was a nerve-rattling dead time while the judges collated the initial testing scores. From that point, only the top sixteen selectees would advance; the rest would go home disappointed. When Captain T'Lasia emerged from the back room, the competitors fell deathly silent, awaiting the news. The captain's instructions were simple. She was going to read the list of sixteen names. If your name was on the list you would stay; if it wasn't, you would collect your belongings and return to the shuttle dock where they had arrived. She thanked them all and proceeded to read the list; Riana didn't have to wait long... her name was third and she breathed a deep sigh of relief as she moved to the designated area within the training grounds.

Those remaining were placed into a double-elimination tournament bracket and they had to compete against one another in hand-to-hand combat. Each combatant would fight a minimum of three times and those who lost an early bout would have to fight a fourth time to see who returned to the main pool. They would end the testing with five combatants still standing; two undefeated and three returnees from the losers bracket. The next step in the selection process would be revealed at that time.

The draw was random and Riana ended up fighting one of the biggest Asari she had ever seen. She gritted her teeth at her bad luck; she had been hoping to keep her Vanguard status a secret until farther along in the competition because she would lose her element of surprise once the other applicants knew she had the skill. She could only hope her opponent was a lumbering giant who relied on strength, not speed. All of the competitors entered the first round somewhat cautiously, trying to get a feel for their opponents without over committing on any of their initial attacks. After a number of gentle prods at Riana's defenses, the large Asari finally committed to an attack and launched a singularity, immediately followed by a warp. As soon as the singularity started to coalesce off to her right side, Riana dove off to her strong side, quickly rolling back up on her feet. As her opponent focused on the singularity and launched a detonating warp, Riana did a very short flash-step, keeping the movement slight enough so her enemy wouldn't notice, but moving far enough to put Riana in an excellent flanking position. The maneuver worked and Riana launched her own warp, striking her opponent, totally crashing what remained of her shields and knocking her off her feet. As Riana moved quickly forward to engage the downed Asari and prepped her biotics for a finishing shot, a barrier appeared out of nowhere, protecting the other contestant and bringing Riana's non-biotic attack up short. She swore under her breath; she hadn't expected her opponent to be able to regenerate so quickly. She still had the advantage if she pressed in quickly so was about to charge forward to shatter the barrier and finish the fight hand-to-hand when one of their two commando judges stepped into the arena and called a halt. Riana frowned, unsure about the turn of events and wondering why the fight was being called.

The judging commando laughed. "The barrier is mine. We are not only here to judge, but also to try and prevent unnecessary injury. Your opponent was stunned and you had free rein to finish the fight unimpeded. Once I saw you preparing your final attack, I put up the barrier to keep you from harming a defenseless opponent."

The larger Asari rose shakily to her feet and stuck her hand out, palm up. "Fairly won. You pack a wallop for being so slight. I hope to see you again in the final round."

Riana placed her hand on top gently. "Thank you. I wish you luck with the remainder of your evaluation bouts."

Riana pulled her hand back and nodded as the other Asari wandered off to wait on her next fight. The commando watching over the fight laid a hand on Riana's shoulder. "You fight well. I look forward to watching your progress through the tournament. I imagine you will easily make it to the final selection group."

Riana smiled. "I would hope so, but I am not counting on all the bouts being as easy as that one. She overextended and failed to watch her flank. I suspect it was a ruse that backfired when I launched my counter so quickly. I cannot expect to be so lucky again."

The commando smirked. "Yes. I noticed you got to the flanking position amazingly quickly..." Her voice trailed off and one eye opened a bit wider in query.

Riana chuckled. "I'm fast... And let's leave it at that until this is done."

The commando smirked. "I understand. A wise precaution, though I think your secret will not be safe for long." The smirk changed to a hopeful smile as she stuck out her hand in greeting. "Ryati Thaptos at your service, Riana Iregos. It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Something in the commando's tone made Riana hesitate slightly before placing her hand atop the one offered. Ryati had practically _purred_ her last sentence and Riana's stomach fluttered as their hands touched. The hint of blush that crept to her cheeks did not keep her from speaking plainly. "Why do I feel as if at the end of the day, the pleasure may be both of ours?'

At that, Ryati laughed aloud. "You are most definitely bold. A good trait for a commando. What if my response is only if at the end of the day you are victorious?"

Riana's face turned serious. "Then my answer would be I'd better be sure to stay focused and win the day, Ryati Thaptos."

Ryati closed her eyes and dipped her head slightly, "Then I shall no longer distract you from your purpose." She suddenly turned and was gone, speaking quickly to the other judge and moving to one of the other fighting arenas. Riana watched for only a moment before turning and looking to the progress board to see where her next fight would be.

* * *

><p>Riana's next bout was long and hard fought with an opponent very similar to herself in build and speed. She wasn't a Vanguard, but her barrier skills were top-notch and Riana found herself unexpectedly at a disadvantage almost as soon as the contest started. There was no slow probing of defenses and her competition launched an aggressive first shot almost immediately. Riana was constantly on the defensive; the pace such that she couldn't find time to recover enough to change the tide. She was tiring and as a last ditch effort she actually stopped fighting and threw up a strong barrier to just <em>breathe<em> for a quick second, going down to one knee with her hands extended before her holding a firm barrier in place. The sudden stop in the action actually threw her opponent off, causing a brief hesitation while she wondered if Riana was preparing to yield. Riana pulled on her biotics, gave up on keeping her Vanguard specialty a secret and utilized her first full-up biotic charge of the day. As Riana had anticipated, the first opponent to find out she was a Vanguard was caught completely flat-footed and was thrown decisively from the fight circle. Riana stood, victorious, but at the expense of her one big advantage being lost for the remainder of her fights.

Riana's fortune took a downturn. Her last fight had gone long and she drew the first fight of the next round, giving her hardly any recovery time before she found herself in the ring again. It proved her undoing, and before she knew it she was flat on her back staring up at the ceiling. Her vision was spinning from the force of the warp that dropped her barriers and the impact of her head on the floor from a well-timed leg sweep. Suddenly a barrier sprang into place and a warp detonated harmlessly above her. This time the barrier was protecting _her_ as the defenseless combatant and Riana found herself moving to the loser's bracket. She shook her head to clear the cobwebs and stood, recalling her first bout. She willingly offered her hand. "Nicely done. Congratulations on being one of the finalists."

Her opponent was gracious. "Thank you. I count myself fortunate you got a bad draw, but I am confident I'll see you in the finalists as well."

Her opponent's prediction rang true and after a reasonable rest and her next fight, Riana easily found herself amongst the five going forward out of the original hundred plus applicants. Captain T'Lasia once again approached the now much smaller group to outline what came next.

"Congratulations on making it this far. Do not presume by my next statement that you have been accepted as a T'Soni House commando, but the house has five vacancies so your future is in your own hands. You will spend the night with us in the commando quarters and tomorrow you will be tested against each of our five most junior commandos. You will be rank ordered first by your number of wins and then, if necessary, by total time in the arena. Your time will be calculated by the length of time for your defeats minus the length of time for wins. Lower times win the draw. Finally, you must have at least one win to qualify as a House T'Soni commando. Are there any questions?" T'Lasia glanced around and absorbed the silence. "Good enough. Grab your bags and follow us. Welcome to the hospitality of House T'Soni."

The group made their way to the quarters and the five were assigned bunk space and a place to drop their gear before they all progressed to the dining hall to share in the evening meal. Professor Trani had warned her of this hidden portion of their test, and as much as Riana wanted to just eat and go to bed, she took her time eating and watched the others to see what they all did. One of the applicants ate as fast as she could and retreated back to the rooms while the other three stayed and spoke amongst themselves. After a short while, Riana sought out Ryati. "Might I join you?"

Ryati smiled and nodded. A slight blush appeared on her cheeks as one of the other commandos poked her in the side and teased about her finding a new friend. When none at the table objected, Riana eagerly sat down with the group of those she already thought of as her newest friends, confident she would be successful at earning a place among them the next day. She spent more than an hour speaking with them and getting to know a bit about how House T'Soni operated; the members of the group more than happy to tell stories and laugh at one another as they spoke of their own initiations. As time passed, the other three candidates migrated over and joined in on the conversation. Finally, Riana yawned and chuckled at herself. "I guess I'm done for the night. Thank you for your hospitality, and I look forward to tomorrow." She retreated to her assigned bunk and slept an easy sleep, already feeling comfortable and at home.

The next day's round-robins seemed to go by quickly, the matches generally taking less than ten minutes with a two-hour rest period between. Riana was pleased with her performance, having won three of her five matches. Keeping an eye on the combat status board, she realized she had secured the first slot and stayed there the entire day. Two of the five didn't win a single match and would be eliminated and the two remaining applicants won two matches each. Riana excitedly bounced on the balls of her feet as she eagerly awaited the entrance of the commando captain, along with the other contestants and every House T'Soni commando who wasn't on duty. At the top of the hour after the last match finished, Captain Relyna T'Lasia finally walked in and stood in front of the group.

T'Lasia cleared her throat and all the idle chatter immediately ceased. "Any day we get to welcome new members to our family is a good day." Her eyes drifted to the two who did not win any matches in the final qualifier. "You made it far in the process and I hope you are not discouraged. All who come here bring their own methods and tactics and teach all of us something new. We are the better for having met you. You brought great skill and are always welcome to apply again after you gain a bit more fighting experience, assuming your records remain clean." Her eyes then shifted to the Asari who had returned to the rooms as soon as she finished eating. "You also put in an admirable performance but as I already mentioned, we are family. We have not only been judging skill, but also temperament and how well we think you will fit amongst us. Family does not turn their back and run away to hide in seclusion. We expect all candidates to actively participate in our social activities. The forming of bonds, knowing who you fight with and, more importantly, who you fight _for_ is important. We do not only fight for House T'Soni. We fight for the friend standing next to us. Our comrades in arms. Our sisters. When you learn the importance of those bonds and the necessity of relying on one another, you also will be welcomed to return and attempt again." She paused before her last statement to the three. "It is with sadness that I must ask you to gather your things from the commando quarters and be escorted off the property. You were all part of an excellent final group and this morning I awoke with the hope of filling all five of our vacancies, but the tides are and our search will continue. Stay well, fight well, and go with the Goddess."

Riana remained standing with the applicant who had sent her to the losers' bracket. T'Lasia approached and offered them each her hand. "Riana Iregos. Dayna Axessi. I welcome you both to House T'Soni." Two additional commandos approached as T'Lasia continued. "Huntress Iregos. You will be assigned to Team Leader Livos Tanni for training and assignment. Huntress Axessi, you will be working with Team Leader Aressa T'Saptos."

The two team leads stepped forward from the rest of the commandos and identified themselves, welcoming their two newest sisters to their respective teams. Captain T'Lasia spoke one last time before leaving. "You both have one week to finalize whatever outstanding personal business you may have. Work with your new team leaders to establish uniform and gear requirements as well as your report date. You have just joined one of the high houses of Thessia. Be proud, yet humble. Capable, yet modest. We expect professionalism in all aspects and complete, undivided loyalty. Again, I welcome you to House T'Soni and look forward to getting to know you. I leave you in the capable hands of your team leads."

* * *

><p>Riana stood on the University of Serrice transportation dock with all her worldly belongings packed into only three duffle bags, awaiting the arrival of her skycab. Huntress Trani stood before her, smiling broadly as she admired her ex-student's new brown commando leathers, the T'Soni crest emblazoned on her right shoulder and left breast. Trani gripped Riana by the shoulders with both her hands. "I am so proud of you, Riana! I will miss the time we spend together. Please stay in touch."<p>

Riana beamed at her teacher and mentor. "I will never leave you behind, Professor. I was disillusioned and lost before you took a personal interest in me. I owe you for everything I have now and I will never forget that. I cannot thank you enough for all you have done."

A still smiling Trani dropped her hands from Riana's shoulders. "You owe me no thanks. I was happy to do it. Your acceptance to the commandos is my reward." Trani's hand came up and she gently caressed Riana's cheek. "Do me proud, Huntress Iregos."

As Riana departed for the shuttle port, a single tear trickled down Elzia Trani's cheek. She whispered quietly to the skycab fading quickly in the distance. "You will do great things one day, Riana. I am sure of it. Go with the Goddess."


	3. Riana Iregos - Building Ties

**2135 - T'Soni House Armali**

The team was eating breakfast when Riana bolted out of her chair to stand at attention as Captain T'Lasia walked in. Livos Tanni gave a short laugh at Riana's actions, but also stood in respect for Matriarch Benezia's personal guard captain. Just not quite so... enthusiastically. "What's up, Rel? Slumming it today?"

"I wish. You know the drill. The Matriarch wants to meet her two newest accessions now that they've had some time to settle in." Relyna shook her head, never understanding why Benezia demanded to personally know everyone in the house. Not like the Matriarch didn't have enough on her plate to be worrying about the entry-level huntresses that she would never see.

"No sweat. She want her now?" Livos was actually hoping it was right away as she had some training exercises scheduled for the afternoon.

"Not immediately, but she wants Iregos at her 10 o'clock morning tea." It was almost as if T'Lasia could read Livos mind. "I can probably bump it a day if you have training scheduled."

Livos' lips quirked up into a smile. "Nope. Training is this afternoon. The schedule actually works for a change. She'll be there."

As the guard captain left the room, Tanni glanced at Riana. "Relax, recruit! Nobody pops to attention when the captain walks in. You only need to stand if she speaks directly to you or you want to talk to her. And just stand... none of that formal 'at attention' shit. We certainly don't want you doing that out in the field... you'll broadcast to the enemy who they need to shoot first... It's a bad habit to get into so we don't do it. Now, finish your breakfast, get your workout in, and make sure you're at the Matriarch's private sitting area on time."

Riana slipped back down into her chair in embarrassment. "Yes, Ma'am."

Riana looked nervous and Tanni could tell she had a question. "What?"

"I've never met a Matriarch. I... It sounds silly, but I have no idea how to act." Riana visibly paled with her admission.

Tanni was surprised. "Your mother never showed... Oh, shit. Sorry, Ri. I didn't think. After your sister... Your mom..." Tanni just stopped and shook her head. "Well, shit. Come on. I'll show you the formal bows and greetings you need to know for today, and then I'll make sure we add some etiquette lessons into your training schedule. We'll have you comfortable around the Matriarch and her guests in no time."

* * *

><p>The house steward, Matron Aratiana Axeuss was waiting for her when she arrived for tea and gave her the once over. "Very nice. You look quite presentable for the Matriarch." She smiled when she saw Riana pale slightly. "Don't worry. She doesn't bite. Quite the opposite, really. Come on, I'll introduce you."<p>

As they walked into the room, Riana was taken aback by the bright colors and all the flowers. She wasn't quite sure exactly what she had expected, but this wasn't it. Matriarch Benezia's face lit with a welcoming smile the moment they stepped into the room. "Ahhh. Our newest member." The Matriarch swept elegantly to her feet and met them halfway across the small room.

Riana froze in place and completed the practiced bow she had learned mere hours before. "Matriarch. It is my honor and privilege to make your acquaintance."

A gentle laugh escaped between Benezia's lips. "Oh please. I can see Livos got her claws into you already, hasn't she?"

Riana was unsure how to answer a question about her superior and Benezia picked up on her discomfort immediately. "Don't worry. You don't need to confirm it, I already know. She's very proper for a commando." Benezia spun gracefully and returned to her chair at a small table by a large window, overlooking the city. "Please. Relax and come join me."

The matriarch turned out to be very personable and though she was careful to keep her behavior appropriate, Riana's guard was down in no time. She was surprised when the matriarch engaged her in idle chatter and told her a bit about the T'Soni family and her own daughter, Liara, who was sixty-two years Riana's junior. It was obvious the matriarch was proud of her, even though she considered herself an utter failure with her inability to understand her offspring's fascination with the past. As Liara had grown older and more independent, she interpreted her mother's lack of understanding as disapproval and they had not parted on good terms when Liara left for university. As the conversation ran on, Riana realized that Benezia had done her homework before teatime and knew most of the basics of her early childhood, including her sister's condition and her father's admittance to a home for the mentally ill. "I am sorry if this is a sensitive topic, Riana, but I need to ask." The matriarch paused as a frown crossed her face. "We have a couple of commandos on staff who have an issue... similar to yours. Who have sisters at the monastery. I know your sister is only fifteen years your junior, yet you have never visited her. Why is that?"

Riana stared at the Matriarch in astonishment. "Visit? We're allowed to do that?"

Benezia was troubled by the question. "You didn't know? No one ever told you that you could visit your sister?" She shook her head in bewilderment. Her voice was almost angry. "By the Goddess! How could no one have ever told you? Family is allowed short monthly visits after she reaches one hundred years of age, assuming she hasn't had any difficulties and isn't on any type of probation or restriction."

Benezia had started doing calculations in her head when Riana answered the question she knew the matriarch was trying to discern for herself. "She turned 105 two months ago, and I haven't seen her in forty five years." Riana clapped a hand over her mouth, thinking she had spoken completely out of turn. If the matriarch wanted an answer, she would have asked a question.

Benezia saw the gesture and frowned at the implications. "No. You're right. That is exactly what I was figuring in my head... but you knew the answer much too quickly. You've been counting every year since she was taken, haven't you?" Benezia's eyes glassed over when she saw Riana's pained expression. "Goddess. You have. Tell me you have at least spoken with her?" As Riana's face fell even more, Benezia continued, her anxiety growing with every denial. "Messages?"

Riana couldn't take any more and croaked out an anxious whisper. "I... I wanted to, but my mother told me it wasn't allowed." The expression on her face was one of complete betrayal.

In 934 years of life, the matriarch had rarely seen such a pained expression cross the face of one so young. Benezia realized that for whatever reason, Riana's parents had taken her sister away from her forever with a single lie, and by revealing that lie, she may very well have destroyed whatever remained of Riana's strained relationship with her parents. She had meant to reunite two estranged sisters, not destroy what tenuous attachments still existed within the family. She surged to her feet as she spoke. "By the Goddess, child! Come here!"

Riana stared up at her, uncomprehending and unmoving, until Benezia grabbed her hands and pulled her from the chair, enveloping her in a maternal embrace. "I am so sorry," she whispered softly in Riana's ear. "I merely meant to reintroduce you to your sister if you so desired. I should have been more careful. I spoke of things about which I knew nothing and I have hurt you."

Riana was at a loss. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to do. The Matriarch of one of the highest houses of Thessia held her in an embrace the likes of which she had not felt since her sister had been diagnosed and taken away. Professor Trani had helped redirect her focus to the future instead of the past and had never delved into what she had called Riana's long dark secrets. For all the care Trani had shown her, it had remained a professional friendship, never anything more. When first swept into the matriarch's arms, Riana stood rigidly in her grip, but as Lady Benezia spoke, unwanted memories slowly snuck from their hiding places and the young Asari's body started to tremble. Her parents had withdrawn into themselves, her father to the point of being unable to function, and with Riana being old enough for university she was left to fend for herself, thrust unceremoniously into adulthood. The trickle turned into a flood and the years of hidden memories, emotions and doubts burst forth from the corners of Riana's mind where she had so carefully sequestered them. Riana's legs no longer wanted to support her and her body threatened to slip to the floor until Benezia's voice called her away from those horrible days.

Remembering where and when she was, Riana drew a deep, stabilizing breath and pushed herself away from the matriarch while wiping away the flood of tears she wasn't even aware she had shed. Her attempts at apology were shunted away without a second thought as Benezia lead her to a small couch, still holding her hand and sitting closely beside her. Riana swallowed and closed her eyes, wanting to disbelieve that any of this had actually transpired, but the soft warmth squeezing her hand told her Lady Benezia was still by her side. She stepped away briefly when Matron Axeuss had come by to remind the matriarch of her next appointment, but only to offer her own apology and a polite order to cancel her remaining appointments for the day. She then whispered something very quietly. Riana couldn't really hear what was said, but thought she caught Livos Tanni's name. Her eyes snapped open and she searched the room desperately for something that showed the time. She had no idea how long she had been here and Huntress Tanni had instructed her to not wear a chrono. She had said, "The Matriarch's time is her own and she will release you when she is ready. If you do not wear a chrono, you cannot be so rude as to look at it when you are in the presence of the Matriarch, as if your time is more important than hers."

The matriarch returned to her seat and a comforting hand was placed gently on Riana's thigh. "Peace, Riana. Huntress Tanni is being informed of what has happened and I have accepted full responsibility for you missing this afternoon's training. It is nothing for you to be concerned about. We have other things we need to discuss."

Riana drew another deep breath and spoke. When her first attempt failed and her voice cracked before she was able to form words, she had to stop and start again, her voice almost a whisper. "I do not know what to say, Matriarch." She shook her head. "I thought those memories were well secured and no longer held power over me. I have never been more wrong." Benezia was patient and said nothing, letting Riana find her own way. "I never even considered that my parents... my mother... would lie to me about such a thing, so I never bothered to check on it myself. Rationally I know I should not, but I cannot help but feel as if I abandoned my sister. I do not know how I can ever make up for that." Riana blinked and wiped yet more tears from her cheeks. "How do I tell Aresia of yet another betrayal by our parents?"

"Oh, Riana. I cannot imagine what you must feel." Benezia stroked Riana's leg when the commando's face turned cloudy. "Please try to not be angry with them. When your mother took Aresia to the doctor, in her heart she already knew what the outcome would be. A daughter would be unable to hide such melding difficulties from a parent, and the law requires that such persons either submit voluntarily to the monastery or suffer penalty of death. It seems cruel, but the monastery offers the necessary training and focus for them to master their disease. Those that prove successful will eventually be allowed to travel outside the monastery for short trips and all who have at least the minimum levels of self control are allowed monthly visits."

Benezia sighed. "The true betrayal was in their lie to you. You and Aresia lost each other unnecessarily with that lie. I feel it was most likely your parents' inability to deal with what they had done, and if you had been allowed to contact her, it would have been a monthly reminder of how they had failed. They could not deal with the consequences, so they shut you out." Benezia stood and held her hand out to Riana. "I cannot judge the gravity of what that abandonment has done to you, but it is one I will try to help remedy."

* * *

><p>Before she realized where they were headed, Benezia stood with her in the communications room. Benezia stood tall as she spoke. "Lesuss Monastery. I need to speak to the headmistress, Matriarch Gallae T'Vori."<p>

It was only a couple of moments before the screen lit up with an older Asari looking back. The voice contained joy as Gallae's face lit up when she realized who was calling. "Benezia! Always a pleasure. What can I do for you? Certainly it's not time to arrange the annual visits to Thessia?"

Benezia offered her friend a soft smile. "No, it's not. I'm afraid I'm calling to ask a special favor."

Gallae's smile faltered just a bit. "You know I can't set any unusual precedents here, Nezzie. 'What is good for one is good for all' and all that nonsense, no matter how much I wish to accommodate you."

Benezia continued to smile. "I'm sure if you had any others in this situation, you'd be happy to do the same for them, across the board, so I don't think it will be an issue."

Riana wanted to melt into the floor as the matriarchs discussed the unique situation with seemingly clinical detachment. Even though the conversation was about her, Riana felt like an interloper to a conversation well above her station and tried to ignored what was being said, best as she was able. As the conversation continued however, Gallae started to find it hard to contain her anger and her voice became heated. Even though not paying attention to the words, Riana picked up on the change of tone. She knew Benezia was going out of her way on her behalf and could not bear the thought of the matriarch losing a friend on her account. Realizing it was far from the wisest thing to do, Riana stepped in and interrupted the conversation. "Matriarchs. Please."

The passionate conversation stopped immediately and both matriarchs focused sharply on the impudent young huntress. Riana took a deep breath and plunged in, committed to her action. "Please. Do not destroy your friendship over this issue. I have lived with this for forty-five years and do not need any special favors. I'll... We'll... My sister and I will figure it out within the normal boundaries."

Gallae surprised Riana with her response; by not eavesdropping, the huntress had completely misread the matriarchs' anger. Both of the matriarchs' expressions had softened toward the young Asari when they realized the purpose behind Riana's interruption. "Nonsense." The matriarch's tone was one of abrupt dismissal. "My friendship with your matriarch is not at risk here. The fact that your parents lied to you and kept you and your sister apart and out of contact this whole time is despicable. The last thing the younger people here need is to be cut off from the loving support of their family. It is apparent to me that you never knew your sister tried to contact you. Multiple times the first year. Your parents refused her calls every time, so she finally gave up on her attempts."

Riana's mouth snapped shut in shock at Gallae's revelation. _Aresia had called and her parents had completely cut her off and out of their lives._ A deep anger started to smolder in her eyes and must have expressed itself on her face because Benezia gripped her forearm. "Don't, Riana. Just focus on the now and concentrate on the future. The relationship you have with your sister will become what you make of it."

Riana's anger didn't fade, but she looked to Lady Benezia and nodded in acceptance. Gallae spoke again, the beginning of the end of the conversation. "We will speak with Aresia and explain the circumstances. Should she desire to renew contact, I'll have Superintendent Jethra contact Aratiana and set up a time."

Benezia nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, Gallae. I hope to hear soon. It's been good speaking with you, but I must let you get on with your day."

Gallae laughed. "I'm sure you had to cancel many more appointments than I did for this, Nezzie. Maybe you can come out this year on one of the visits? It's been far too long."

"I'll try, but can't make promises. Thank you, again. Farewell." Benezia turned and studied the expression on Riana's face. She still saw the remnants of anger but there was also something else; a slight glow of hope.

* * *

><p>It was a nerve-wracking two days before the vid call came through and Riana was called out of training to take it. Still not truly believing that Lady Benezia had arranged all this for her, she looked at Livos Tanni with trepidation, but her team leader smiled broadly. "Go, you idiot. Talk to your sister."<p>

Her teammates yelled encouragement as she left the room and Riana made it from the unarmed combat training room to the communications center in record time, shouting apologies at the people she startled along the way as she sprinted through the hallways, her footsteps echoing loudly off the tiles. As she skidded to a halt in front of the vid screen, the joy of the reunion was tempered with what Riana could only assess as fear on the face of her sister. Riana knew that Aresia had somehow dealt with the pain of rejection and all the self doubt that sprang naturally from her family turning their backs on her. For forty five years that had been her reality. To suddenly find out it was a lie and that Riana still thought of her and loved her was a miracle she was almost certainly afraid to accept. In spite of the fear she saw there, Riana grinned like an idiot at the sight of her sister standing before her. "Hey, Squirt. I've missed you something awful."

* * *

><p>The conversation had been somewhat stressful and awkward, the ease of their previous sisterly relationship long gone to dust over the forty-five years of silence. They were strangers, but that fact gave them many topics of conversation for their attempt at getting to know one another again. When their 30-minute slot ended, Riana had promised to get the contact schedule and call whenever she was available during the allotted times. Riana realized that while she had suffered in ignorance, her sister had suffered rejection and it would take some time to rebuild that trust, but with a thousand-year lifespan if the Asari had nothing else, they had time.<p> 


	4. Riana Iregos - Ties That Bind

**2136 - T'Soni House Armali**

It was early morning, pre-dawn, as Riana patrolled the perimeter. Her one-year anniversary of working for House T'Soni was just around the corner and she had thought she was going to be one of the five 'junior' commandos in the arena for this year's talent search, but such was not the case. She had been assigned to security instead. When she protested, thinking she was being kept out of the arena because she had become Lady Benezia's special project, Livos had actually laughed. "The matriarch has nothing to do with it, Riana. Yes, she's taken an interest in you, but that's because you've got the most potential out of all of us. Hell, we can't let you in the arena to fight this year's applicants... you'd break their bones and scare away all our future candidates; we'd never hire anyone again." Livos shook her head, still chuckling. "I'll let you in on the big secret. Junior doesn't mean newest. It's the least capable; the five lowest ranking commandos on our battle-board. The candidate requirement to win at least one bout means that whoever we hire improves our team's fighting ability. Think about it. Only the best five of the 100 we let in the door make final. Solid candidates normally win one bout, winning two is rare. We've honed and practiced our skills for years. You and your three wins? You walked in off the street and beat three of the best commandos on Thessia. That only happens once or twice every century... of course the matriarch would take notice."

When Riana had been hired, her three wins had placed her in the eleventh of fifteen positions. Since then, through additional formal training and growing accustomed to each commando's fighting styles, Riana had climbed steadily in the quarterly evaluations and now sat at eighth. With seven commandos below her, she would not be participating in the fights, and the Matriarch's personal guard corps provided the evaluators and judges. That didn't mean she'd be idle though, as while the bottom five were in the arena, the remaining ten had rotating security shifts. She stopped her ruminations and stared at a doorway on one of the balconies. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something wasn't right so she approached the door. As she got closer, she realized it was casting a shadow because it was ajar. The bottom had been blocked so it couldn't close fully and automatically lock. _Shit!_ "Central, this is perimeter 2. We have a potential breach, I repeat, we have a potential breach! Balcony four entryway has been blocked open."

An alarm rang and the outer perimeter collapsed on the townhome, with every available commando starting their preset search pattern. Lady Benezia was secured by her personal guard and the five candidates who had cleared the first day were placed in lock-down. As the commandos proceeded to methodically clear the corridors, all that was heard was the patter of feet and occasional search commands directed at those who had not yet memorized the newest patterns. Suddenly, gunfire interrupted the search and a call came over the radio. "Positive breach! We have a cloak! Watch for thermal disruptions!"

Riana and her search partner, Sella Temi rounded a corner and converged on another search team. As they approached, Riana caught a glimpse of a shimmery distortion in her field of view, directly behind Livos Tanni and her search partner, Sellis Boni. On instinct, Riana shouted out, "Positive contact!" and pulled on her biotic charge. As she crashed into the shimmer, smashing the assassin unconscious against the back wall, Riana grunted in unexpected pain. The reason was immediately clear; an assassin's Karambit blade was now firmly wedged between Riana's ribs. "Oh, shit..." was all that Riana could manage before her world went gray. It had never occurred to her the trespasser would wield a bladed weapon.

The attacker's cloak failed with the collision and the commando team closed on the now visible attacker and secured the unconscious assassin while Tanni called in the positive capture. The searches would continue until they verified the home was clear of hostiles. No one would assume the assassin was a solo act. Tanni turned to Riana to congratulate her on the catch just in time to see the huntress slump to her knees. Only the handle of the knife protruded from her commando leathers... The force of Riana's charge had buried it to the hilt. Given its position, Tanni feared the blade was stuck right through Riana's lung. "Shit!" Tanni was once again on the radio. "Med team, corridor 5. Now! Call an emergency transport!"

She took two quick steps and squatted next to Riana, helping her to lay back flat on the floor. Riana's body was shaking as if shivering from cold, but sweat was dripping from her face. Riana winced and gritted her teeth against the pain as she moved, but her eyes searched out Tanni's. Her breathing was shallow and her voice weak as she whispered. "Hurts... to... breathe, Liv."

The team leader tried to keep the conversation light. "Normally if something hurts, I'd tell you to not do it anymore, but in this case I think I'll skip that advice. You try to stop breathing, I'll kill you myself, recruit."

Riana's chest bounced with the start of a laugh, but it was cut short by a surge of pain and Riana clenched her fists in an unsuccessful attempt to not cry out. "Only... call... that... one more... day. Hire... a. new... kid." She couldn't seem to catch her breath and pain was etched on her face as her eyelids started to flutter. No matter how hard she tried to stay awake, the physical shock was overriding her will. As her eyes closed, she clasped Livos' hand with waning strength and whispered so softly Livos had to lean forward to hear it. "Don't. let. me. go."

* * *

><p>Lady Benezia stood at her desk, her head bowed as she silently awaited word. Of course it had to be Riana. Of all the commandos who could have noticed the door. Of all the commandos who could have seen the shimmer of the cloak. Assuming she would recover, Riana had a definite future within the T'Soni house. She was the best commando candidate they had seen in the last two hundred years... the best since Shiala. So of course it was Riana who noticed the breach and who acted first when she saw the cloaked perpetrator. It had been over two hours since the medical transport had left and still they had heard nothing from Thessia Medical. A soft knock on the door drew her attention as Aratiana stuck her head in the door. Benezia looked worriedly at the house steward. "News?"<p>

Aratiana nodded. "You'll be pleased to know she'll be fine." Relief spilled over Benezia's face as the steward continued. "The knife separated her ribs, caused a stress fracture and punctured her lung, but it was tainted with a biotic suppressant, not poison. It's a core injury, so her recovery will be slow, but she should be able to come home in a couple of days. She'll still be on bed rest, but if all goes well, she'll be up and about in maybe a week. Able to enter light training by the end of a month. If she doesn't push too hard and reinjure herself, she should be fully healed in two."

Benezia absorbed the information and finally allowed herself to sit. She lowered herself slowly to her chair, her hands still gripping the edge of the desk. "Thank the Goddess. I still cannot believe an assassin penetrated the grounds so eas..."

Her sentence remained unfinished as a third voice chimed in. "It wasn't an assassination attempt, Matriarch." Captain Relyna T'Lasia had stepped in through the open doorway while Aratiana had given her the status update.

Lady Benezia frowned and contemplated the captain's words. "No? Then what exactly were they attempting to accomplish?"

Relyna frowned in return. "If it was assassination, the blade would have been poisoned. The biotic suppressant suggests kidnapping or theft. For the kidnapping half of the equation, I can't imagine one of the commandos being a target and Liara is at university, which only leaves you, Matriarch."

Benezia launched herself out of her chair. "Goddess! Liara!"

Relyna held up a hand. "Is already being watched. I immediately dispatched our best infiltrator, Allis Selaptos, to watch without being seen and she has Vasia and Axanni as back up. Liara has not been touched and I personally guarantee that she will be kept safe."

Benezia breathed a sigh of relief. "Excellent. Thank you, Rel. Please put together an escort. I'd like to go to the hospital to see Riana."

Relyna was stoic. "Absolutely not, Matriarch. Until we determine who is behind this and put a stop to it, security will be very tight. You should limit any public appearances until our investigation is complete."

"And how long is that going to take?" Benezia's tone reflected that she did not take kindly to being told no.

The captain shrugged. "Hard to say. The door was blocked open, so we knew it was an inside job. We've already reviewed the security tapes and found it was one of the candidates. Best guess is someone who has been here before gave up some information on the building layout and our watch schedules, so the kid knew exactly how to get to the door. Fortunately for us, I change the schedules, codes and camera placements every quarter, so such information doesn't have much of a shelf life. We're reviewing her path to the door now. We'll compare it with our previous security set-ups and it should give us a timeframe to focus on. Between that and the questioning, we should have it narrowed down pretty quickly."

"Pretty quickly isn't very specific. Are you talking hours or days?" Benezia was not prepared to wait long before visiting her injured commando.

"It's a lot of data. I would think the whole investigation will be completed in just a couple of weeks..."

Rel didn't get to finish her sentence before Benezia made her position clear. "Fine. That's two weeks too long. Arrange an escorted transport. I'd like to leave in thirty minutes." Rel was about to protest again when Benezia glared at her. "Captain T'Lasia. I have made my decision."

Rel closed her mouth and bowed formally. "Understood, Lady T'Soni. I will escort you personally when the shuttle is prepared."

* * *

><p>Riana's eyes crawled open and she found herself looking at a sterile white ceiling. She turned her head slightly trying to take in her surroundings and started to stretch; her midsection felt tight and confined, but didn't hurt until the stretch began. Her muscles rebelled and she cut short her attempt with a grunt of pain. The rustle of the covers drew the attention of the two people in the room and she immediately felt a hand take hers. "It's ok, Ri. Relax. You're safe."<p>

Ryati's hand stroked softly down the side of her face and her eyes slid closed again, relishing the comfort the touch brought. A disapproving tone highlighted Ryati's words. "You have to be more careful. Livos told me what you did. A cloaked enemy, Ri? You _never_ charge what you can't see. You don't know what they're hiding! What if that blade had been poisoned?"

Riana's eyes opened again and she turned her head, her blinking eyes meeting those of her lover. Still trying to focus and a bit groggy from the sedative, she slurred out, "You mean it wasn't?"

Ryati leaned forward and kissed her gently before responding. "Thank the Goddess, no. It _was_ tainted, but with a biotic suppressant."

"Suppressant? What...?" Riana's eyes widened and she forced herself more awake to consider the implications. "Lady Benezia?"

Livos laughed and entered the conversation. "Is fine. Leave it to you to be barely awake after surgery and be already thinking about others." The team lead shook her head. "That assassin bitch was getting ready to backstab me and you intercepted her blade. I had no idea she was there; you probably saved my life, Ri. Thanks."

Riana smiled in relief. "It's what we do, right? Watch one another's backs." She paused. "I hate this. Can I sit up?"

Ryati immediately placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her from attempting such a thing, accompanied with an emphatic, "No!"

Riana looked at her with a smirk. "Ok, mother hen. I meant with the adjustable bed thingy... not on my own, you dope. Just stretching hurt. Don't care to do that again anytime soon."

Ryati looked at her sheepishly before concern wrinkled her brow. "Sorry, Ri. It's just... You worried me a bit. I want you healthy and back home, so don't do anything stupid to delay that."

"I'll try to remember that." Riana tried to take in a deep breath, still unsure of the extent of her injury and felt a light twinge. "I'm actually pretty surprised you're here and not guarding the Matriarch. What's up with that?" Riana was unsure how they could get leave to be with her during a time like this.

Livos growled. "An attempt was made on House T'Soni, and we don't know the whys or whats yet, so no one is out on their own. We sent three to Serrice to cover Mistress Liara and we are here to cover you. We protect our own."

A commotion in the hallway instantly had Livos and Ryati on guard and they assumed protective postures at the sides of the bed until a familiar face showed at the doorway. Shiala walked in with an appreciative look to the two commandos. "Excellent. We've cleared the hall. Lady Benezia is on her way up and will arrive momentarily."

Riana looked at Shiala in surprise. "The matriarch is coming here?" Her glance shifted to Ryati. "Ri! Get this bed up!" Riana was fishing with her hands over her head in an attempt to find the bed controller, wincing with every move.

Ryati slapped her hands down. "Settle down, Ri. I've got it." She smiled and started moving the head of the bed slowly upward as she watched Riana's face for any indications of discomfort. "You're so concerned with appearances. You've just come out of surgery for Goddess sake. The matriarch isn't going to care."

Trying to remain professional but failing, Shiala's lips quirked up into a smile. "You both call the other 'Ri'...? Doesn't that get confusing?"

Ryati grinned. "No. We obviously know who we're talking to when it's just us... and everyone else either uses our full names or gets two for the price of one. Good thing we're not allowed to work on the same team."

Shiala nodded. "Yes. Commands in the heat of battle could be interesting if someone slipped to first names."

Ryati had just gotten the bed to where Riana was happy with its position when Benezia's first team posted themselves in the hallway. The matriarch and Captain T'Lasia entered the room together and the standing commandos moved back from the bed to give the matriarch space and bowed in unison.

"I know my requests fall on deaf ears, but I do wish all of you would stop that." Benezia walked straight to the bed and brushed her fingertips lightly across Riana's cheek. "You look well, considering." Her face was pinched with concern. "I hate when any of my commandos are injured, especially so severely. How do you feel?"

Riana took Benezia's hand from her cheek, holding it softly. "As you said, Matriarch. I feel well, considering. I haven't been awake long. I don't even know what all happened, other than the blade was not tainted with poison as I initial feared. I was lucky."

"Yes, you were. I know you were stabbed and the blade punctured your left lung. If it had been poisoned, it would have worked quickly through all the vessels in the lung. It is good we are in the city and the hospital is close." She threw a quick glance over her shoulder at the captain. "Rel has already inquired with the Ju..." Benezia remembered Riana's issues with the Justicar Order and rephrased her statement, "...with the expert Vanguards we have available on Thessia and there is a lightweight combat mesh that can be worn under your leathers, specifically designed to stop non-kinetic weapons such as knives. We will order you a couple of sets and get you new leathers that fit over top." Benezia shook her head in regret. "We have never had a Vanguard and did not realize such protections were available. I am sorry. You should have been better protected."

Riana squeezed Benezia's hand. "It was not your fault, Matriarch. I'm the Vanguard and I know the mesh exists. It's just atrociously expensive and I haven't purchased it yet."

Benezia pulled her hand away and looked at the huntress with a mix of dismay and anger. "Do you think so little of us as to think we would not pay that price for your safety?"

Riana's face flushed at her blunder. "No, Ma'am! That's not what I meant at all. It's just that we all buy our own specialty gear outside of the standard issue weapons and leathers."

"Then this _is_ my fault." She looked to the captain. "Do we not buy the specialty rifles for the snipers?"

Relyna nodded. "Yes, Matriarch. We do, but we do not buy the specialty scopes or targeting visors. Each huntress prefers to purchase their own and customize them to suit."

Benezia frowned. "And we have always done it this way." A nod from Relyna confirmed her assumption. "Then that policy changes today. We have the assets to do better for our house. If someone identifies a piece of specialty gear that will improve their safety or enable them to do their job better, we will review the request and purchase them as necessary."

The captain contemplated the change. "Much of the specialty gear is fitted and individually modified. As such, it would not be transferable between commandos and may cause inequities."

Benezia was not to be dissuaded. "Then we shall categorize it as an equipment bonus, and everyone will receive an equalizing stipend at the end of the year with which to purchase or repair personal gear, so no one is cheated. However, the stipend will be limited to work-related items, not personal use. Get with Aratiana to work out the details so everyone is treated equitably."

The captain nodded and glanced with a smile at Riana. Sometime during the course of the discussion, her eyes had closed and she had fallen back to sleep. The matriarch followed Relyna's glance and her expression softened as she watched the commando sleeping. Her hand trailed tenderly across Riana's forehead one last time. "Sleep well and come home soon, young one."

Her gaze shifted to Livos. "You are needed back home for the judging of the remaining four candidates. I am sure we will hire at least one to your team, so you need to be present. I will leave Arlis here in your stead."

She then turned to Ryati with a knowing smile on her lips; while Benezia normally left commando operations completely in the hands of the captain, she did know her people. In that aspect, there was little that went on in the house that the matriarch was not aware of. "I know you will watch her carefully. Call as soon as she is allowed to leave this place and Aratiana will dispatch Judea to fetch all of you."

"As you wish, Matriarch." Ryati smiled in return. "I promise you, no harm shall come to her in my care and you'll see us home safely in a few days."

* * *

><p>Riana winced as Ryati lowered her gently into the chair by the window before finally breathing a sigh of relief. "About time. If I had to spend another day in that hospital bed I would have gone crazy." She grabbed a blue hand before Ryati could pull complete away and flashed her lover a smile. "Thank you."<p>

With her free hand, Ryati feathered her fingers across Riana's crest before squatting down next to the chair. "Think nothing of it. You know I'd do anything for you."

Riana's eyes twinkled in merriment. "Anything?"

Ryati smirked. "Anything but that. It certainly speaks to your improving attitude, but you're not well enough yet. That's going to be a while. You're not even supposed to be up yet, but I know you don't want to receive Lady Benezia still flat on your back."

Ryati stood and kissed Riana softly on the top of her crests. "It's good to be home, Ri. I wasn't confined to the bed and even I was getting tired of being there. Not a big fan of hospitals."

Livos strolled into the common room between the wings of the dorms and her eyes opened wide in question. "What are you doing up? You have four more days of bed rest yet."

Riana grimaced. "If I have to lay in a damn bed another minute you won't have to worry about when I'll be returning to work. I'll be declared crazy and thrown out."

Ryati came to her aid. "And she didn't put herself here. I carried her in and set her here to meet the Matriarch. We got word she would stop in as soon as we landed in the shuttle."

Livos smiled and rolled her eyes, knowing very well that Riana had wheedled the concession out of Ryati. "Whatever. The matriarch will be a little delayed, but she should still be here within fifteen or so."

It was obvious word had gotten out that Riana had returned home and commandos started crawling out of the woodwork. The next fifteen minutes were busier than Riana would have liked and she was already tired by the time a voice of authority rang through the common. "Your sister is recovering. Do you not have better things to be doing than exhaust her when she is supposed to be resting?" The voice of Lady Benezia was unmistakable and every commando in the room silenced themselves as they jumped back and turned to look guiltily at the matriarch. However, as they turned, they did not see an angry face as the tone had suggested. Benezia had a soft, appreciative smile on her face. "Yes. I too am happy to have Riana home, but we must be considerate of her injuries and not press her too hard." Her gaze turned disapproving as she turned to Riana. "And she is supposed to be on bed rest, not cavorting with the likes of you all in the common room."

The room emptied amazingly quickly with Benezia's 'suggestion' and soon it was just her and Riana remaining, Ryati promising to return as soon as her shift was over. Benezia waved her hand at the doorway the commandos had used to disappear. "It _is_ good to have you back, Riana. As you can see, we've all missed you." Benezia sat in a chair across from Riana so they were face to face. "You look tired, child. One of our medics will be checking on you hourly and you should have been given their omni contact in the event something happens or you need assistance?" A nod told Benezia it had been done. "Good. I just wanted to see you for myself, but I will leave you to your rest. Would you like to return to _your_ bed to sleep for a bit? I imagine you got tired of that hard thing at the hospital."

"I was _definitely_ tired of the hospital and for more reasons than just the bed. It always amazes me when they wake you up from a sound sleep at 2 AM just to renew your sedative so you sleep ok." Riana shook her head while Benezia laughed.

"Yes. I always found that rather annoying as well. But, you didn't answer my question. Would you like help to your room? My biotics are certainly sufficient to carry you to bed." Benezia's lips quirked into a smile at the look of dismay on Riana's face. Another light laugh escaped her as she continued. "Don't look so horrified by the prospect, Riana. I am a mother and the leader of a house with a staff of over seventy Asari. It wouldn't be the first time I've tucked a maiden in; injured, sick or otherwise."

Riana blushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Matriarch. I've been here a year and I still can't get used to how much you care about all of us. You treat us all like family... " A brief frown flashed across Riana's face, but it was gone in an instant. "It's just something I've not experienced for a long time and I'm still finding it hard to get used to." She paused. "Not that I don't appreciate it, it's just... different for me." The troublesome memories were pushed aside and a reflective smile lit Riana's face as she truly realized for the first time that she had in fact found a new home and a family that cared for her. She shook her head and laughed. "And I still didn't answer your question! I would actually prefer to stay here for a while, if you don't mind? I'm tired of being flat on my back and I actually breathe a bit easier when I'm upright."

"Alright." Benezia stood and closed the gap between them, laying a gentle hand on her commando's shoulder. "But do not try to get up by yourself. Promise me."

"Yes, Ma'am. You have my word that I'll wait for one of the medics."

"Very well." The Matriarch paused one last time. "It really is very good to have you home, Riana. You are a part of House T'Soni and we all felt your absence. Your return makes us whole once more."

After Benezia was out the door, Riana settled back into the chair and closed her eyes for a much needed nap. _My return not only makes House T'Soni whole once more, Matriarch. I didn't think about it before, but I belong here. House T'Soni makes _me_ complete._


	5. House T'Soni - Janiris

**2145 - T'Soni House Armali, Janiris Morning**

Riana swatted sleepily at the hand on her shoulder and rolled away, mumbling into her pillow. "Not on duty t'day... mm sleepin' in."

Being First Team had its benefits. Team 2 had the first shift and Team 3 had the second, leaving Team 1 free to enjoy the entire holiday unless something happened to activate the full staff. However, the hand was insistent and pulled Riana back flat. She growled and cracked her eyes open to see which of her teammates was being the ass and not letting her sleep, only to see a grinning Ryati with a cup of hot tea in her hand and two necklaces of flowers already hanging around her neck. Riana was instantly wide awake... the _only_ thing Ryati was wearing was the flowers. Ryati was obviously pleased with the reaction. "Happy Janiris, grumpy."

Riana blinked a couple of times as a grin spread slowly across her face. "Certainly happier than how I originally anticipated the start of my day." She flipped her covers back. "Why don't you divest yourself of that bothersome cup and get in here?"

Ryati laughed and took a long, slow sip, slowly sauntering over to the nightstand and setting her tea down. "You do realize it's already three hours past when you normally rise? I think I gave you plenty of slack time."

Riana smirked. "Sleeping until seven instead of four does not count as slacking off."

Ryati was taking her sweet time, her hips swayed with every tantalizing step as she returned to the side of the bed. Riana growled again, but the deep, throaty sound held a completely different tone and intent than her first growl of the morning. Her hand impatiently snapped out and grabbed hold of the object of her affection and yanked her unceremoniously down into the bed with her, quickly rolling them both over and pinning a surprised and squeaking Ryati on the bottom. "Happy Janiris to you, too." Riana glanced at her chrono, confirming that it was indeed only 7:15. "When does your shift start?"

Ryati's hands traveled across Riana's chest. "If it wasn't for the expected formal reception with all her business associates, I think she wouldn't even go to the Estate this year... But the House must keep with tradition so the Matriarch will go, but we won't leave for the estate until after lunch..."

Riana grinned mischievously as she leaned down and gently bit the side of Ryati's neck and ran her tongue teasingly up through a neck fold. "Excellent."

Ryati's eyes darkened, even as she tried to finish the conversation. "Mistress Liara comes home from University this afternoon, so Benezia is hoping to return as soon as Liara has a chance to say hello to all her friends on the staff. The Matriarch is aiming for 4 PM, but we'll see how it goes. The Mistress can be somewhat... willful." She groaned and shivered in pleasure as Riana's hands and tongue continued to wander. "Goddess, Ri. You are such a tease. I think I'm done talking now."

Ryati's eyes went black and as her mind reached out, Riana willingly opened herself to her lover's light meld. Their sexual play kept them entertained for over an hour before it ended abruptly with Riana's commando partner, Sellis, returning to the room. The lovers' eyes returned to normal as they separated, watching as Sellis slipped over to the nightstand and set down some fresh hot tea and Janiris cakes. She smiled at the two before leaning over and giving each of them a deep kiss. "Happy Janiris! The scavengers are already up and at the tables, so thought I'd grab some cakes for you before all that was left were the crumbs."

Riana's face was flushed and she was still panting as she whispered her thanks. Sellis chuckled as she spoke, "I think you need a break anyway." She winked at Ryati before reaching over and running her hand enticingly across her crests. "Let me know if you wear the young one out and need someone more experienced to satisfy you. I'm more than happy to volunteer."

She laughed and ducked as Riana threw a pillow at her and shouted a joking protest. "Hey! Maybe we'll just have to see who has more stamina, Boni!"

"Bring it on, Iregos! You haven't beaten me the last ten years, you won't beat me in the next ten... but I'm always willing to let you try! To the victor go the spoils!" She sidled over to the bed and leaned down, whispering in Riana's ear but purposely loud enough for Ryati to hear. "But I don't want you to worry if Ri gets held up with the Matriarch at the estate... if she does, I'll make sure your maidenhood is well displayed after the fertility parade. Wouldn't want anyone to think you've gone all matronly and already settled down at the young age of only 130! You'd break half the hearts in the room!"

Riana's face turned a deep blue and Ryati busted out laughing, giving her lover a slap on the hip. They weren't bonded, and in true Asari tradition, she was more than happy to share such an enticing prize with her sisters. "Alright! Up and at 'em. Those cakes do look good and I'm starving!"

* * *

><p>The cakes vanished quickly and they showered and dressed in their Janiris gowns, Ryati happily sharing one of her floral necklaces with Riana before they walked out to the commando's common room. They were greeted with enthusiastic welcomes and additional flowery adornments as they worked their way to the tables of treats and drinks. The T'Soni house spared no expense on their celebrations and Sellis' warnings of there being only crumbs were wholly unfounded. Apparently, Riana was the last to rise, so her appearance meant the party could truly begin; someone started the music and pairs immediately began dancing. It was a good thing Sellis had brought them some food because before she even made it to the tables, Riana felt an arm wrap around her from behind and a body pressed tight to hers, undulating with the beat. She started dancing without even knowing who it was and the next hour or so was lost to continuous movement with multiple partners, everyone joyously celebrating the new year and the coming of spring.<p>

Shortly before 11 AM a chime sounded, indicating it was time to shut off the music and head to the main hall for the Matriarch's offering of the standard Janiris prayers for a year of good health and bountiful harvests. Afterwards, Benezia's Personal Guard vanished back to their rooms to get dressed and ready for travel as everyone else helped ready the hall for the main communal meal of Janiris. When the commandos all emerged in their ceremonial leathers, the entire house sat together for a large lunch before the Matriarch and her guards departed for the Country Estate.

* * *

><p><strong>2145 - T'Soni Country Estate, Janiris Afternoon<strong>

Since Liara had grown up mostly at the Estate, she joined the Matriarch there to complete her duties and formally greet the Janiris guests of House T'Soni. Benezia greeted her warmly when the shuttle arrived and they moved quickly inside, away from the brisk seaside air. Once inside, Liara shed her cloak and turned to her mother, kissing her quickly on both cheeks. "It is good to be done with mid-terms and home for the holiday!"

Liara seemed content and the Matriarch's mood reflected the same. "I am happy to have you home as well! We have a short time before the guests arrive. Come, let's take tea and you can tell me of this semester's classes."

Liara was exuberant and Benezia could see just how much Liara loved University; it showed in her voice and her body language as Liara described her class work. She was already halfway through her second series of classes, which meant that after summer break she would be entering into her specialty classes as she moved into her third series of study. Benezia smiled at her enthusiasm. "So, did you sign up for the philosophy class I recommended to you?"

Liara shook her head, "No. That's an advanced class and I have to take the basic curriculum first." Liara wrinkled her nose in distaste. "And the basic philosophy course was horrible, so I doubt I'll take any more... at least until I get a good share of my history requirements done. I may take it as an elective course second half of next year."

Benezia lost her smile. _Take the class as an elective?_ "Liara. You'll never know if you like it or not if you don't try it. I would still like you to consider a religion or philosophy focus. History is just so..." Benezia paused, trying to find a word that wasn't derogatory. "... dry." What she really wanted to say was 'useless,' but she knew that would instantly put her daughter on the defensive. Benezia was eager to share a joyful Janiris with her only daughter and did not want to spoil the young one's attitude, so didn't want to do anything to upset the festive mood.

Even so, Liara frowned a bit. "Only to you, Mother. I find it fascinating! I'm sure with study I could easily develop a predictive model for societal development that could be utilized to theorize on the causal factors of the downfall of the Prothean civilization." By the end of her statement, Liara's face was once more lit with happiness. "That's why I've decided to complete a parallel path of study in archeology! There's not enough verified data on the Protheans, so much of my research will have to be actual groundwork on Prothean dig sites! I've already talked to a couple of my professors, and there's a dig this summer that I could go on to fulfill one of my research requirements!" Liara looked pleadingly at her mother, knowing she was already fighting an uphill battle on her academic choices and it would be even more of a challenge to be allowed on a remote dig at only sixty-eight years of age. "I could take one of the commandos with me..."

Her mother had already warned she wouldn't give permission to the school for her daughter to go on any remote trips until Liara was at least seventy-five, meaning she'd have to complete her entire third series studies before she could even begin to work on her two history research requirements. Liara had already done the math. If she didn't get this concession, the addition of the dig requirement for her archeology track would delay her graduation. She planned to finish her secondary education in the spring of 2160 and start her doctorate that fall. If she didn't get the dig in now, she'd have to complete it that summer and wouldn't be done in time to apply for that year's doctoral program. She'd be delayed a whole year and wouldn't be able to start until the fall of 2161.

Benezia saw an argument in the making, so just smiled and leaned forward, kissing Liara on the forehead. "That, Little Wing, is a discussion for the weekend. Today is Janiris and we have guests to attend to."

Liara was ecstatic that her mother didn't flat out say no, so jumped up and hugged Benezia. "Thank you, Mother!"

Benezia canted her head in caution. "I did not say yes, Liara."

Liara practically skipped into the foyer ahead of her mother to greet the guests. "But you didn't say no, either!"

The guest reception lasted a couple of hours, during which Liara was the model hostess. She still couldn't believe her mother hadn't refused the dig on the spot, so she had until the weekend to build a solid argument for the trip. Her mother was a top negotiator, so Liara knew she'd have to have her facts and figures straight to present a solid case. It occupied her thoughts as she went through the motions of 'the matriarch's daughter' during the reception, but was still grateful to see the last of them out the front door. As Benezia tried to corral her so they could head to Armali, Liara put on a terrific pout. "Since we sat for tea until the guests arrived, I've had no chance to say my hellos to the staff!"

Benezia shook her head in defeat, knowing it wasn't worth the fight or the attitude that would result if she forced the issue. Instead, she smiled at her young one. "Fine. Make your rounds, but please do at least try to be quick?"

Liara squealed in happiness and hugged her. "Thank you, Mother! I'll be fast. I promise!"

* * *

><p><strong>2145 - T'Soni House Armali, Janiris Evening<strong>

Once Lady Benezia was gone, the afternoon had passed quickly, easily filled with friendly competitions of strength, stamina and balance, interrupted frequently with bouts of kissing, petting, eating, drinking and dancing. After lunch, the main drinks had been augmented from only juices and teas to include those of the alcoholic variety, adding greatly to the entertainment value of the competitions... particularly those related to balance. Everyone laughed and cajoled their way happily through the day and were somewhat surprised when the shuttles bearing the Matriarch and her guards reappeared, suddenly realizing it was already after 5 PM. The only tense moment of the afternoon came as the sun was starting to set and it was time for Liara to lead the Fertility Parade as a start for the evening activities. Benezia feared a battle of wills was brewing when Shiala suddenly rolled onto the scene, slipping her hand into Liara's and spinning her quickly in a pirouette, cutting the argument off before it could begin. The scowl that had been starting to form on Liara's face disappeared in an instant with her old friend's antics. "Come, Liara. You know it's expected of you so it's not worth ruining the day. I am more than happy to be your escort as of old, though I refuse to carry you on my shoulders as I did when you were ten!"

Liara laughed in relief at her biotics instructor and friend of her youth as the parade tune started to play. Shiala led her by the hand along the designated route; spinning, dancing and generally acting the fool as she occasionally helped Liara toss the traditional floral necklaces out to the crowd, only to have each and every Asari tag onto the end of the growing gaggle as the parade passed. The route ended in the grand hall, with all the older commandos and house matrons separating themselves from the group to become spectators along the outskirts. Shiala led Liara to the front of the room, where Benezia waited expectantly, standing on a small raised platform. With a flourish, Shiala dropped Liara's hand and bowed, backing away to join the non-maidens on the edges of the room and leaving the young maiden alone at the front of the pack. Shiala had made the experience quite enjoyable despite Liara's shyness, and the young Asari smiled widely as her eyes locked on those of her mother, Lady Benezia, the leader of House T'Soni. "Matriarch. I present to you our future. The maidens of House T'Soni." Liara executed the intricate formal bow required by custom with perfect, practiced ease and held it, as still as granite.

The moment seemed frozen in time and Benezia was positively delighted with Liara's unexpectedly flawless performance. Her mother beamed favorably down at her, her pleasure obvious in her tone. "What boon would you ask of me?"

Liara slowly stood upright, careful to maintain her perfect form. "I would ask that you bless the house in the name of Janiri, so that she may bring enlightenment to those who reside within, bountiful harvests that will keep us well and fed, and each of the beautiful seasons she so faithfully delivers year after year, so that we may enjoy all the bounty and beauty that Thessia is capable of offering over the coming year."

Benezia nodded in acceptance of the time-honored request and the blessing rolled off her tongue perfectly in archaic Thessian. The room erupted in cheers as soon as she fell quiet and lively music began to play. Benezia stepped down from her platform quickly, before Liara could make good on an escape, and grasped her daughter's hand. "I know you do not like being put on display before the entire house like this, but we are expected to adhere to the customs." Liara started to frown at the reminder, but rather than scold her, Benezia pulled her into a tight hug. "Enough with the sad faces, young one. You may not appreciate your duties at times like this, but you performed them perfectly. Besides, it does not matter if you do them perfectly. I will always love you, Little Wing, no matter the circumstance." Benezia held her out at arms' length but did not release her. "Now, please. It is Janiris! Would you do me the honor of letting me dance with my daughter?"

Liara blushed, both at the combined reprimand and compliment her mother had so skillfully woven together, and at the knowledge that her mother was doing her utmost to save her socially inept daughter from the embarrassment of not having a lover to dance with for the traditional Dance of the Maidens. No one would dare interrupt the Matriarch's first dance. Liara quickly blinked away the tears that wanted to form and smiled softly. "Of course, Mother. That would please me immensely."

* * *

><p>At the conclusion of the blessing, Riana immediately sought out Ryati for her first dance, but she was captured first by her team lead, Livos Tanni. Livos laughed, "Oh, no you don't, Riana. She had you all morning and she'll probably have you all night. This evening, she has to share!"<p>

Riana laughed in return. "Not my fault you were off doing your own thing this morning. Had you been in the Common, you would have already gotten your dance... I must have danced with everyone in the room!"

Before Livos could challenge the truthfulness of her statement, Ryati danced up beside them with her personal guard team leader, Cyenia Axeuss, also the house steward's daughter. "Let her be, Livos. She's telling the truth. I share well enough!"

With a laugh, Ryati spun away with Cy, obviously enjoying their own dance. Livos chuckled and pulled Riana close. "Alright then, so I'm late... but I'm still going to get my turn with one of the most eligible maidens in House T'Soni!"

Riana smirked and danced with the joy of being alive, with Livos just being the first of many over the course of the evening. Riana had set a personal goal to dance at least once with everyone in the house on Janiris night, but in ten years she had never succeeded. This year was no different, the most elusive target being the Mistress T'Soni. It was as if Liara was purposely avoiding contact with her, as every time Riana got close, the young maiden would start dancing with someone else, but always with someone on the personal guard whom she had grown up with. Her favorite dance partner was obviously Shiala, so Riana targeted the commando instead, intent on asking why. When it finally happened, Shiala's response was beyond cool. "Mistress T'Soni's preferences are her own business, and it is neither our business nor our place to question her. I suggest you remember that and pursue this line of inquiry no farther."

Riana stepped back. "I apologize. I was not questioning her relationships... I merely desired to dance with her."

Shiala's attitude immediately changed. "I see. Perhaps I could ask her for you?"

Riana's face clouded. "Is that necessary? I'd rather ask her myself."

Shiala laughed lightly. "Mistress Liara is very reserved around people she does not know. I imagine you would not be well received. Especially since your reputation precedes you."

"What reputation?" Riana was curious to hear what the other commandos were saying about her.

"That you are very popular among the commandos." Shiala smirked. "In more ways than one."

The expression on Shiala's face almost made Riana choke on her drink. "What? By the Goddess! I just like to have fun! I just dance with them and joke around! It's not like I've joined with them all!" Her face flushed and Riana shook her head in disgust. "Never mind. If that's my reputation, I wouldn't want to sully that of the Mistress T'Soni by having her seen dancing with one who is assumed to be the house player!"

In her surprise at the response, Shiala didn't say anything else before Riana turned and left, heading back through the commando common room to be alone in her room, her Janiris day ending on a rather sour note. She wasn't there very long before she cussed in frustration and put her leathers on. She slipped out the back door and located the first on-duty commando she could find. "Hey, Day."

Dayna Axessi was running the perimeter patrol route on the south side. "What's up, Ri?"

Riana shook her head. "I'm calling it a night and looking to give someone a break. I'll take your spot... go enjoy what's left of the holiday."

Dayna looked at her in surprise and then realized something had happened. No way would Riana Iregos be out here on Janiris of her own free will. "What happened, Ri? You and Ryati have a fight or something?"

"Nah. We're good. I just need some alone time. It's personal." Riana shook her head. "You game or do I find someone else?"

Dayna looked at her, trying to decide if she should leave Riana alone out here in her current mood or not. She finally decided that Riana was probably one of the last people in the house she needed to worry about. "Yeah. I'll take you up on it. You've got my omni data. Call me back out if you change your mind."

Riana nodded. "Thanks, Day. I owe you one."

As Dayna started to head back to the house, she laughed. "Call it even, Ri. I'm the one rejoining the Janiris celebrations!"

* * *

><p>Relyna T'Lasia wasn't the guard captain for no reason, and immediately noticed when Dayna walked in. She cornered the young Asari. "Axessi. Care to explain why you're not on shift?"<p>

Dayna shrugged her shoulders. "Riana Iregos came out to replace me and told me I could come in."

Rel frowned. "Did she happen to say why?"

"She said personal reasons." Day realized the captain wasn't happy with that answer, so tried to expound. "I asked if she and Ryati had a fight or something and she said no, that she just wanted some alone time. I did tell her that when she was ready to come back in, to just call me. I'm not gonna drink or anything... just in case she does call."

Rel nodded her head and shrugged. "Ok. She's certainly responsible enough, so I won't question it. Enjoy yourself."

As Day walked into the throng of dancing Asari and disappeared in the crush, Rel went in search of Ryati. "Hey. Ri. Got a minute?"

Ryati excused herself from her dance partner and stepped over to a quiet corner, concern showing on her face. Rel looked troubled, and the captain looking troubled was never a good omen. "What's up, Cap?"

"Do you know where your lover is?" Rel's question caught her completely off guard.

"Uh...no? She's a consenting adult, and I have no claim on her..." Suddenly Ryati's head snapped up. "Oh, Goddess. Last I knew she was going to try to get a dance with Mistress Liara. Please tell me nothing happened!"

Rel's eyes got wide. "An affront to Mistress Liara would be grounds for dismissal. Riana went out on patrol and voluntarily took Day's spot on the south perimeter. Find Livos and bring her out. I'm going to go find Iregos."

Relyna walked directly to the south perimeter check point and waited. It wasn't long before Riana showed up after completing another circuit. As soon as she saw the captain, she broke into a jog. "Hey, Captain. Is it not ok that I relieved Day?"

Rel looked at the young commando and was thankful to see no guilt in her eyes. "Depends on the why, but I think I may have jumped the gun on the reasons."

Riana sighed. "I take it 'personal reasons' wasn't enough of an explanation?"

Before she knew it, three more commandos came out of the darkness and Ryati, Livos and Day joined them. Riana's face turned deep blue and she muttered under her breath, "Oh, Goddess."

Day shook her head. "Sorry, Ri. I didn't mean for this to happen but the captain saw me as soon as I walked in and asked why."

Riana closed her eyes and sighed. "It's fine, Day. Not your fault. Sorry to get your hopes up for a Janiris night."

Dayna solemnly resumed her shift while the other four walked back to the captain's office in the business wing. Riana took comfort in the fact that they were at least far away from the rest of the party so she had hope of limiting her embarrassment. She let out a groan when Shiala walked in and joined them in the office. A very subdued Riana explained what she had been doing at the party and how she reacted to Shiala's comment. She then went on to talk about how she frequently went out with a lot of different people. She looked at Ryati in silent apology when she tacked on, "Especially when Lady Benezia is traveling and the personal guard is gone."

Ryati spoke quietly. "You have nothing to be ashamed of Riana. This misunderstanding is not of your doing. We have no commitments to one another and I know you date when I am not here. Besides which, you have never attempted to keep that a secret from me. You are just being a typical young maiden and there is nothing wrong with that."

"Then why do I feel so guilty and how by the Goddess did I ever get a rep as a player?" She admitted to limited physical contact with a few of them, but also stipulated that she had never had sex with any of them and certainly hadn't joined with any others since she had started seeing Ryati. "Sure, some of us melded, but it was just sharing melds, never unions... of any degree! The ones in the house I've melded with over the ten years I've been here I can count on one hand..."

"I feel this is my fault for highlighting the rumor." Shiala looked at the young maiden sadly. "I know better than to speak of things I have no personal knowledge of, especially if I cannot speak to their truthfulness. I have done you a disservice, Huntress."

Riana glowered. "Actually, no. You've done me a favor. I had no idea I had such a reputation, and now I want to find who's spreading the lies about me."

Livos and Rel both spoke at the same time. "No." Livos stopped and nodded at the captain to continue. "You will do no investigation on your own. I do not want to have to take disciplinary action on you for getting into an altercation with another commando. I will handle this discreetly and determine if there was intended malice or just poor judgment."

The captain stood. "I am sorry, but I will need to brief the Matriarch on this." She felt for the young Riana who looked like she wanted to melt into the floor. "If the intent was malicious, such slander cannot be accepted and the person will be released from House T'Soni. Because of that, I am afraid Lady Benezia will need to be kept informed on the investigation, especially since some of the conversations involved her daughter."

Riana fell forward and banged her head hard on the table, covering her head with her hands. "Please. Just kill me now so I don't live a slow death of embarrassment."

Shiala looked at her across the table and spoke in an attempt to correct her previous error in judgment. "This is not your fault. Should you still wish that dance with Mistress Liara, I could arrange it."

"What? NO! Absolutely not!" Riana looked stricken. "I mean, not that dancing with her would be bad or anything, just... now, I'd be too embarrassed! Oh, Goddess. Just, no. But thanks anyway... I think." Riana ran a hand nervously over her crest as she realized this had to be her most disastrous Janiris evening ever.

Ryati laughed and stood with the captain. "Come on, Ri. I still haven't gotten _my_ dance from you... and then we should go do some of what you're getting credited with."

She snickered when Riana bolted up out of the chair and turned to her, her face the deepest blue Ryati had ever seen it. "Ryati!" She glanced nervously around the room and realized everyone else was trying hard to not laugh, all of them now positively sure the reputation she had was not earned. "Oh yeah. Fine. Just yuk it up, all of you!" She closed her eyes and shook her head. "And I'm supposedly the irresponsible maiden in the room."

Ryati threw her arm around the maiden's shoulders and kissed her on the cheek before pulling a reluctant Riana out of the office, with Livos trailing out not far behind them. Shiala still sat at the table staring at nothing and Rel watched her for a moment before finally speaking, once it became apparent that the other commando wasn't moving any time soon. "Shiala? Need me for something?"

"Oh... no. Sorry, Rel. Just lost in thought." Shiala stood to leave, but Rel reached out and gently grabbed her upper arm and turned her back.

"You're worried about something, and my guess is it's about how Lady Benezia is going to take this." Relyna sought to comfort her friend; she had known Shiala for a long time, since they had worked together at House T'Soni for over two hundred years. "You don't need to worry. The matriarch supports Riana, and Riana is not at fault here. Things will be fine... you haven't ruined her career with this misunderstanding if that's what's bothering you. Matter of fact, you may have helped it by bringing the false rumors to light. In the end, it will improve her standing."

Shiala smiled wanly before answering. "No. I have no doubts Riana will be well. I actually fear for Mistress T'Soni."

At Relyna's confused expression, Shiala sat back down in her chair with a huff. The captain followed suit and waited patiently for her second team leader to speak. Shiala shook her head slowly. "Liara is such a... unique child. She's so intelligent it places her well above other children of the same age and pushes her out of sync with time. All her... friends... are within the older maidens and the matrons of the house. We are all at least two hundred years her senior and she's a maiden with absolutely no social life! I had hoped University would change that, but ten years in and Liara still has no close friends... just classmates."

Rel had figured out where Shiala was going. "And you just trashed a chance for someone close to her own age who actually expressed an interest in your young charge." The expression on Shiala's face told Rel everything she needed to know. "Oh, Shiala. Liara will be fine, you'll see. Give her time... she's not quite seventy yet."

"Yes. And how old were you when you had your first meld with someone not your mother or your biotics teacher?" Shiala almost sounded angry, but Rel knew it was just the frustration speaking.

"I was... maybe fifty-five?" Relyna suddenly realized why Shiala was asking the question and her voice reflected surprise. "Are you saying Mistress Liara has _never_..."

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Rel. Never! My greatest fear is that some opportunist at University will figure it out and take her virginity just for the sake of the conquest of a T'Soni, and then thoroughly break her heart." Shiala shook her head sadly. "There is nothing I can personally do to protect her. And for all her school smarts, poor Liara knows absolutely nothing about affairs of the heart."

"Like you said, she's smart. She'll figure it out." Relyna looked at Shiala, not truly believing her own words. Liara would eventually learn about love, but Rel imagined Shiala was probably right. Being at University with Asari thirty to fifty years her senior... and most likely _much_ more experienced... Liara's first experience just might come from the school of hard knocks. They'd just have to pray to the Goddess it didn't happen that way. She shook her head and patted Shiala on the shoulder. "Hell of a way to end Janiris. Come on, we're senior leaders. We've got to put on our happy faces and at least pretend we're having a good time."


	6. Riana Iregos - Liara

**2155 - T'Soni House Armali**

Riana dodged quickly and completed a leg sweep, throwing her larger opponent to the mat. Allia Vasia rolled quickly to her feet with a smile and shook her head. "Goddess be damned. Every stinking time since that first meeting in the qualifiers! One of these days, Iregos!"

When Riana had been selected to House T'Soni, Allia was the first one she had sent to the losers' bracket in the combat tournament. However, Allia had returned the very next year, qualifying for the T'Soni commandos and Team 1, making up for her lack of hand-to-hand combat skills with the long distance reach of her sniper rifle. In fact, she was the best shooter Riana had ever seen. Allia had caught up with her after Riana's short stint in Thessia Medical and they had been friends ever since, with Riana working with her regularly to help improve her combat skills.

The T'Soni training regimen was extremely demanding and over the last twenty years they had both seen new recruits come and go, either unwilling or unable to keep up with the physical aspects. They had also watched a couple Asari get discharged for loyalty conflicts, but that was rare. While the second and third teams still only had five members each, Team 1 had been rock solid and maintained a full team of six and the bonds within the team had grown strong.

They had just finished another sparring round when the room electrified and Riana's eyes went wide when the surge of energy made her skin prickle. She looked toward the door and was surprised to see a young Liara T'Soni crossing the room in a quiet rage, her skin aglow with the blue of poorly suppressed biotics. Liara was extremely intelligent and had already started her secondary education at the age of only fifty-eight, the same year Riana had been hired, so the commando had little contact with the T'Soni heir. Liara was also somewhat antisocial and hadn't been home often enough to make any friends among the newer T'Soni commando accessions. The only person Riana had seen her speak to with any regularity was Shiala, her mother's personal guard Team 2 lead. The one time Riana had gotten close to actually meeting Liara face-to-face, the day had ended in complete failure after Shiala blocked her access because of an unfounded taint on Riana's character. It had been cleared up, but Riana was too embarrassed at that point to make a second attempt. Based on Liara's current mood, Riana and Allia gave her a wide berth and moved to the weight training side of the exercise room as she blew by them with hardly a glance, heading straight to the biotics drones.

Liara growled, "Max shields!" before her biotics lit up full. Riana and Allia couldn't help but cast sidelong glances at the young Asari as she launched warp after warp until the drone's shields crumpled to nothing and she blasted it out of the air. She immediately activated a second drone. She spoke again, this time sounding slightly winded. "Combat mode." As she lit up her barriers, the drone started dodging around the training area and blasting at her barriers, but Liara hardly flinched. She held the barrier and still managed to launch a few warps before pulling on her reserves and actually generating a singularity to capture the drone. Riana was impressed. Few Asari could manage the control and energy output to maintain a full-strength barrier and a singularity at the same time. Being impressed was one thing, but Riana was also disconcerted because Liara was talking to herself the whole time, maintaining a constant stream of remarks that if said by anyone else in the house would have been borderline treason.

* * *

><p>As Liara stormed into the practice room, she barely registered the two commandos present in the room before her. She didn't care and didn't even give them a second glance. After she activated the first drone, she started venting. "I cannot <em>believe<em> her!" _warp_. "Twenty years in! I have only five years left of my program, I am maintaining top marks, and she still will not accept that I will _not_ change my direction of study to suit _her_!" _warp_. "I do not want to study _politics_! I do not want to study philosophy or religion! I have no interest in them and such esoteric studies would be a complete waste of my time!" _warp_. "Why can she not just accept the study of history is useful... besides which, I _enjoy_ it! But it is never about what I like or what _I'm_ good at!" _warp_. "It's always the good of the _house_. Why must I follow in _her_ footsteps to become a leader for House T'Soni? A student of history can lead just as well! We must learn from our errors of the past. I do not need to be a _political_ genius to run our house!" _warp_. As the drone disintegrated, she practically growled and used a biotic pull to yank another off the storage rack.

Liara fell silent for a few moments as she concentrated on solidifying her barrier against the attack drone before launching her next warp. When she continued her diatribe, Riana cringed at her words. "I am going to graduate the top of my class and she dares tell me I am wasting my life! I will not have my future dictated to me; I don't care what she says! She travels all over the galaxy, yet can't trouble herself to visit me at University for a single day when I win awards for academic excellence!"

* * *

><p>Riana missed the rest of Liara's rant while she wondered if Benezia had actually said those things to her daughter or if Liara had either read into them or misinterpreted the words. Everything Riana had ever heard from the Matriarch was about how proud she was of her daughter and Riana wondered what could have caused the change if what Liara was saying was true. Riana stopped when she realized what she was thinking. <em>No<em>. _Benezia took me in and has treated me as her own. She treats all of us that way! How could she treat us better than her own daughter? Liara must have misunderstood._

She started when Allia grabbed her shoulder and spoke. "You ok? You look ready to kill something."

Riana blushed a little and whispered urgently, "Yeah. I just can't believe what Mistress T'Soni is saying! What if someone of importance overhears her?"

Allia chuckled lightly. "They will take the comments for what they are worth... the angry ramblings of an eighty-year old maiden who just had a fight with her mother. Nothing more."

Riana rolled her eyes. "Goddess. You're right." She shook her head. "I guess I expected more because she's already at University, but I suppose intelligence doesn't necessarily equate to maturity. She _is_ young, isn't she?" Riana laughed with her friend. "She's pretty mad, but she's got some pretty decent biotics. I certainly wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of them!"

Just then, Liara detonated the drone-capturing singularity with a warp, blasting the drone into a hundred pieces. Liara dropped her barrier and flopped down on a nearby bench, her head in her hands. Riana stood and watched, understanding completely the feeling of betrayal Liara was probably feeling at the moment, but wasn't sure what to do about it. She glanced at Allia and the older Asari smiled knowingly. "You should talk to her. You're not really that much older and she might listen to you. If nothing else, maybe you can listen to her and just let her vent. It can't hurt."

Riana punched her friend in the arm. "How do you know what I'm thinking?" She paused and glanced back at Liara sitting alone, her shoulders slumped. "Yeah. I guess. She looks like she could use a friend right now." She looked back at Allia. "I'll see you tomorrow. Same place, same time!"

Allia nodding. "Definitely. You know, sooner or later, I _am_ going to beat you."

Riana laughed as Allia walked away. "In your dreams, Vasia. In your dreams."

Riana made her way slowly over to Liara and very gently queried, "Mistress T'Soni?"

Liara's head snapped up and she quickly wiped the tears from her face as she barked, "What?" She immediately hung her head but started to rise. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me. Do you wish to use the drone station? I'll get out of your way."

Riana took a deep breath and laid her hand on Liara's shoulder, keeping her from standing. "No. You're fine. I... um. Sorry, this is kind of forward, since we've never met, but I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

Liara's face blushed a deep blue and she barely managed to whisper, "Oh." before her voice cracked and she quit speaking.

Riana sat down on the bench, leaving plenty of room so Liara didn't feel crowded. "I'll just go away if you don't want to talk about it, but it was kind of hard to not hear what you were saying while you blasted the shit out of those drones." Riana laughed lightly. "Pretty damn good display of biotics by the way. Impressive."

Liara glanced up shyly and flashed a quick, light smile before frowning and staring at the floor again. "Thanks. I guess it helps me concentrate when I'm mad."

"I'm not comparing myself to you or anything, but I didn't exactly have a great parting with my mom either..." Riana went on to give a brief history of her sister ending up at the monastery and her mother lying to her about not being allowed to contact her. "So, needless to say, I haven't spoken to my mom in probably what? Sixty-five years, I guess."

Liara shook her head but still wouldn't make eye contact. "Goddess. Makes my argument with my mother seem trivial."

Riana shook her head in disagreement. "No. It's obviously important to you and nothing can be important and trivial at the same time. But I have to tell you. Whenever your mother speaks of you, she glows. She really is incredibly proud of you, Mistress."

Liara's voice picked up a hint of anger and she clenched her fists. "Then why does she always have to try and change me? Why does she insist I do something with my life that would bore me to tears? How can she misunderstand me so badly?" Her hand came up and wiped away another batch of tears.

Riana sighed. "She's older, Mistress. I mean, she's almost a thousand years old and she has so much living wisdom stuck in her head she's likely forgotten how much fun it was putting it all there. And she fears the many mistakes she made along the way. She probably wants you to skip the pain of the mistakes and go straight to success, but forgets that everyone has to take their own path to get there. Life is all about the journey."

Still angry, Liara didn't take Riana's explanation well at all. "So, what are you saying? That me pursuing an archeology degree is a mistake to be skipped?" Her head came up and she glared at the commando before her, only to see two hands held up in apology.

"Absolutely not! I'm sorry if it came across that way. That's not what I meant, not at all. I think she's just trying to save you the pain of _her_ mistakes, but she can't. We all have to learn our own way. We can't ride in the shadows of those before us or that's all we'll ever be. A shadow. You need to forge your own path, and she knows that. She just loves you too much to remember to let you go." Riana sighed. "When I found out about my sister, I was so angry. Your mother sensed it and she told me something that day that made all the difference in the world in how I dealt with my mother's betrayal."

Liara's anger abated and her natural curiosity got the better of her when Riana fell silent. "So, what did she say to you?"

Riana smiled at the memory. "She told me to not dwell in the past. To focus on the here and now and that the future would become what I would make of it." She looked at Liara. "Your future is what _you_ will make of it, Liara T'Soni. Not what your mother wishes. You obviously have the passion necessary to pursue your dreams. Don't let anger alter your path. Channel that energy into the pursuit of your dreams and you will go far. I promise you." Riana shifted on the bench in preparation to leave.

"Just remember that your mother _does_ love you and she is proud of you. She just may not know the best way to show it. She may be a matriarch, but no one's perfect." Riana stood with a final gentle pat on Liara's shoulder. "It's easier said than done, but don't waste energy on anger." Riana chuckled. "Unless, of course, you're fighting someone with biotics. In that case, get mad and go kick their ass!"

In spite of herself, Liara laughed along with the commando at her comment. "Thank you. I do feel better."

"Good." Riana checked her chrono. "I've got to get ready for my shift. I'm glad I could help."

Riana turned and left the practice room, leaving Liara sitting alone. It wasn't until Liara's thoughts settled that she realized she had never even gotten the commando's name.


	7. The Matriarch

**2157 - T'Soni House Armali, Thessia**

Livos Tanni roared into the armory, "Riana! Let's go! Matriarch Benezia wants to see us."

Riana turned to Livos. "Right now, or time to clean up?"

Tanni shook her head. "Now. She called an emergency session for all five team leads... and she wants you there, too. Something's up."

Riana grabbed a towel and wiped the oil and grease off her hands, trying to clean up best she could as they made their way to the Matriarch's office. There was an energy in the house that Riana had not felt before. Aratiana, the house steward, stood in the grand foyer directing traffic. Luggage and supplies were moving out the door to a large shuttle waiting out front. Livos got a glimpse of it as they passed. "What the hell? That's from the Citadel Council..."

Shiala was awaiting them in the hallway. "Come. We are the last three."

They stepped into Benezia's office and as Shiala closed the door she turned and nodded at the matriarch. Benezia stepped away from her desk and joined the elite group standing before her. Her eyes were focused and intense as she began. "A serious development has come to the attention of the Council and they have requested my aid. I cannot refuse them. Someone violated the Council decree prohibiting the activation of an inactive relay." Benezia closed her eyes and sighed, "Goddess, give me patience," as a collective gasp rose from her audience. She opened her eyes and looked to her team leaders. "When Relay 314 activated, our charming militant Turian allies took it upon themselves to punish the offenders rather than try talking to them... Only they turned out to be a new race, not hoodlums accountable to Council law. We cannot blame these newcomers for defending themselves and we now have a brewing inter-species war on our hands."

The group erupted in chatter until Captain Relyna T'Lasia's voice cut through the noise. "Listen up! We're team leads, not gossiping maidens." She looked at Benezia, who had told her to prepare the guard for an unscheduled trip, but hadn't said why. "I hope, Matriarch, they are calling on your skills as a negotiator and not to call up the Asari military?"

Benezia nodded. "For now, at least." She shook her head. "This new race is as militant as the Turians, if not more so. The Turians violated established first-contact protocols when they took an unauthorized offensive action against an unknown race. They compounded their error when they failed to withdraw after their discovery, instead choosing to lay siege to a colony. Matters escalated quickly and they were completely unprepared when the newcomers not only fought back, but managed to evict the Turian forces from their colony world of Shanxi." She noted the shocked surprise on everyone's face. "Yes. I know. It is frightening to think some unknown entity out there has the military prowess to challenge the might of the Council races, which is exactly why I must go. The Turians are definitely _not_ negotiators and are gearing up for a full mobilization as we speak." She looked to T'Lasia. "Rel?"

The captain nodded and took over. "Because of this, obviously the Guard is going with the matriarch to ensure her safety. As long as we are gone, Team 1 Lead Livos Tanni will be acting Captain and Riana Iregos will take over Team 1. You will all be preparing for mobilization in the event this goes badly." She glanced at Benezia. "No matter how good our Matriarch may be at what she does, we have no way to judge the reactions of this new race. We don't know if we can even communicate with them, yet. Negotiations may not be possible. You must prepare for war and you must be prepared to make the temporary appointments permanent. Lastly, you must also support the transition of Mistress Liara to Lady T'Soni, without question, in the event we do not return."

T'Lasia heard a grumble at her last statement, but couldn't tell from whom it came. Her look was hard as she studied the faces in the room. "Mistress Liara is the Lady Benezia's rightful heir and that _will not_ be questioned. I don't care how young she may be. If any of you have an issue with that, tell me now and we will air and settle the grievance." She glanced at Livos. "If it comes out after the matriarch departs Thessia, it will be viewed as sedition and you will be cast from House T'Soni without a second thought. We support House T'Soni, not just Lady Benezia."

Livos Tanni nodded to affirm she got the message that it would be her responsibility to handle any such traitors to the house. Everyone was surprised and Benezia actually inhaled sharply when Shiala stepped forward. Shiala's lips quirked into a smirk. "Goddess. Do you actually think I would speak against Liara?" She laughed lightly and shook her head. "No, I will not. But I do have a recommendation, if it has not already been provided for. You must admit there are those who would seek to influence her... or possibly remove one who they see as a willful, uncontrollable child. She will have the house stewards to call on for assistance, but I think she would be well served if you appointed a trusted matriarch as an interim executor, perhaps for the first year, until Liara finds her feet. She is very intelligent... but she is still young and may find all of this a bit overwhelming." Shiala paused and looked at Benezia. "Particularly if she is also dealing with the loss of her mother at the same time. And there are other things to consider in regard to her as well..."

She had left the last statement open, but Benezia knew exactly what she was referring to. Liara still did not know who her father was and it had been agreed that Liara would be given that information on her 100th birthday, still twenty years hence. Benezia closed he eyes for just a moment. "Thank you, Shiala. I honestly had not thought of all the true implications of my death at this juncture. I shall give that consideration as we transit to the Citadel."

She looked to the group. "Thank you all for your dedicated service. I know if the Goddess chooses to take me from this world, House T'Soni will remain in good hands."

Aratiana stepped into the room as Benezia finished speaking. "Let us hope it is not yet time for that, Matriarch. The shuttles are packed and ready to depart whenever you chose."

Benezia walked to the door and looked around the group one more time. "May the Goddess be with us all." Then she was gone.

* * *

><p>With Matriarch Benezia, Captain T'Lasia and both teams of her personal guard gone, the house was amazingly quiet, even with all the mobilization prep going on around them. It was startling how subdued everything felt and Riana couldn't decide if it was the threat of war, the threat to Benezia's well being, or just the uncertainty born of her absence; not knowing for sure when or even if she would be back. It didn't help that Aratiana had the newswire on every hour of every day to monitor the status of the war; it didn't do much to sooth frazzled nerves to learn the Turians had completed their mobilization and were simply waiting on the other end of the relay to jump through the minute negotiations failed. When her omnitool beeped unexpectedly, Riana glanced at it and hustled to the office, wondering what had happened that prompted Livos to request an unscheduled meeting.<p>

"Riana. Come in and take a seat." Livos slid a datapad across the desk to her. "I just received this from the captain. Take a look at it and scroll down towards the bottom until you find the section on the Ascension of Mistress T'Soni to Lady T'Soni."

Riana gaped at Livos. "The Matriarch! She's not..."

Riana couldn't even finish the sentence, but Livos immediately realized what Riana had inferred. "Oh, Goddess! No! It's just plans, not an implementation order!"

Riana closed her eyes in relief. "Goddess, Livos! Don't do that!"

"Sorry. Such a thought wasn't even in my head, so I didn't think about how it may come across." Livos frowned at her faux pas. "Sorry about that."

The pad had a lot of information on it; instructions for the mobilization, bunker locations, forward operating locations, emergency evacuation routes... Riana did as told and started reading. Riana hadn't gotten very far when something stopped her cold. "What? This can't be right." She looked up at the interim captain. "Why would they skip you?"

Livos smiled. "Because I told them to." She held up a hand to stop Riana's protest before it began. "I'm good, Riana. But I'm at my best in a team. You? You're also good in a team, but as a Vanguard, you're _great_ on your own. As a First, you'd be a solo act with maybe your transport pilot as a backup, but that's it. Liara will need whoever is our best solo operator, and hands down, that's you."

"Shit, Livos." Riana shook her head in disbelief. "I never meant..."

Livos stopped her. "Of course you didn't, but that doesn't change the facts, does it? You're damned good, Riana, and you should be proud of it." She laughed. "Besides. You go play babysitter to the heir apparent for a week and come back and tell me if it's the dream job you always wanted as a commando. I'm quite content to sit here as the next captain of the House T'Soni Guard. You have to admit, that's not too damn shabby."

Riana laughed. "Well, when you put it that way, I guess you've got a point. So what's it really mean for now?"

Livos shrugged. "Not a lot, unless Benezia doesn't come back. Your training will change up a bit. We'll focus more on single ops for you instead of the standard teamwork drills and you'll get some new gear. You'll be carrying everything yourself, so we'll get you the compact, lightweight models of everything in a full kit and make sure to check you out on all of it." Livos sighed. "When they get back, Capt T'Lasia will pair you with someone in the guard to complete your specialized protection detail training. If they don't... well, you won't have time to do training, so you'll just have to do your best with the tools you already have. Fortunately, you've already saved my life once and you've improved a whole bunch since then, so I'm confident your toolkit is pretty damn substantial."

* * *

><p><strong>2157 - Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula<strong>

When Lady Benezia arrived, she was immediately ushered to the Asari Councilor's office. Councilor Tevos bowed politely, "Matriarch Benezia. Thank you for coming so quickly."

Benezia smiled graciously, "Of course, Rae. How could I not, when our galaxy is in upheaval? Please, let us not stand so much on formalities. We've known each other too long for that."

Tevos smiled. "Come then. Let's sit and I'll tell you what I know and what we are asking you to accomplish."

As they moved to the couches, Benezia hesitated before sitting. "Raesia."

Tevos looked at her friend and realized something was amiss. "What's the matter, Nezzie?"

Benezia closed her eyes as she sat down. "Before we begin, I need to ask a personal favor." She opened her eyes and looked at the councilor. "And before you agree, you must know exactly what I will ask of you."

Tevos waved a hand dismissively. "Nonsense. As you said, we've known one another a long time. You know you can ask anything of me and if it is within my power to help, I shall."

"Yes. Well, we'll see." Benezia squared her shoulders. "I need to make arrangements for Liara." She saw the question forming in Tevos' eyes. "In the event this explodes into a full-scale war and I do not go home."

The surprise was evident in the councilor's face, but she said nothing as she nodded for Benezia to continue. "Liara is young. She is extremely smart, but too young to bear the full burden of running house T'Soni. You are a busy councilor, so I would not ask you to personally handle it, but in the event of my death I would ask that you identify a suitable matriarch and appoint her as Regent for Liara, at least until she reaches the age of 100, if not longer. I will not have my death steal her life. She deserves a chance to finish her schooling and find her own way."

"Why would you ask this of me? Certainly there must be someone within your house?" Tevos was easily willing to take on the task, but confused as to why Benezia would ask her.

Benezia shook her head. "No. It must be someone unrelated and I need your objective input. My family was never close. Quite the opposite, actually. The cousins in particular would wish Liara to fail. They would purposely undermine her... and possibly even try to threaten her to gain the inheritance. My greatest fear would be that Liara would be disinterested enough that if someone posed a significant threat, she would simply walk away from it all to avoid the danger and the house would be ruined by their greed. Liara will appreciate it when she is older, but for now..." Benezia looked pained. "We are currently at odds and if I do not take care to protect her interests, I fear she would give it up willingly."

Tevos sat back in surprise. "Nezzie. You love your Little Wing beyond all! What could possibly have come between you so completely for you to fear such a thing?"

Benezia sighed. "I pushed her too hard to follow in my footsteps and she rebelled. She is nothing if not Aethyta's daughter. She is a fighter just like her father. Stubborn, willful and strong. Should I pass, those traits will serve her well once she gets past the initial shock of it, but we must get her through my winter and out from under my dark shade so that she may blossom in the spring of her own life."

Tevos sat forward and took Benezia's hand. "Don't trouble yourself over this anymore. Of course I will do it, Nezzie. Gladly. Through my numerous contacts as councilor, I have a number of prospects. If you will pass permission to the stewards for me, just to look, not touch, I will review your family holdings and decide who would best serve your desires and Liara's needs under the circumstances."

Benezia's face relaxed with the relief of shedding a huge burden. "Thank you, Rae. I'll inform them before I depart the Citadel." Benezia hesitated and she frowned before continuing. "There is one more issue that I would leave to your discretion. My agreement with Aethyta is that I will tell Liara about her once our Little Wing reaches the age of 100. If I should pass before then and you feel Liara needs her, could you please arrange for Thyta to know I release her from our oath and that she should contact our daughter. Otherwise, I will leave a time capsule to be given to Liara on her 100th birthday."

"Consider it done, Matriarch. I will gladly help watch over her during your absence and, the Goddess forbid, but should that absence become permanent, I will ensure she is cared for and her future secured." Tevos rose out of her seat far enough to lean in and kiss Benezia gently on both cheeks. "You have been a supporter and friend to me for centuries. I can do no less for you."

Tevos sat back down and released the matriarch's hand. "Now. As much as I hate to rush into this, we have the situation between our errant Turians and a new species who call themselves 'Human' to discuss. Are you prepared to begin?"

With Benezia's affirmative response, Tevos explained all that had happened to date and the dire circumstances that had driven the request for Benezia's expert negotiation skills. She had no doubts the matriarch was capable of solving the dilemma and hoped her promise to care for Liara would not need to be tested. Her faith was not misplaced.

* * *

><p>Benezia brought a relatively quick end to the hostilities, with which the Turians were not really pleased... on multiple fronts. They had lost face with their defeat at Shanxi and the quick end prevented them from regaining their honor. To add to their embarrassment, they were also forced to pay reparations to the Humans because the Turians had violated first contact protocols and were considered the aggressors in an illegal act. The Asari and Salarian Council members, on the other hand, couldn't have been happier with Benezia's success. She returned with a new Council ally that rivaled the Turian military might and decreased the overall Turian influence within the Council races as a result. Everyone but the Turians were happy with the result.<p>

Anytime a new race was accepted into the Citadel, both old and new relations were strained for a number of years until everyone found a new balance. The forceful aggressiveness and military might the Humans brought with them pushed that balance more off-center than any other newly admitted race in recent history, so the Council proposed to Benezia that she accept a position within the Council as an envoy, until firm military, economic and political regulations were negotiated and established that would bring the Humans into accord with the existing Citadel Conventions. There was only one answer Benezia would give. "It is my duty to serve."

* * *

><p><strong>Gagarin Station (Jump Zero)<strong>

The two years after the war were busy with a number of differences in opinion arising that required Benezia's mediation. Her travel team found themselves almost always on the road, frequently augmented with Riana Iregos so she could get in the specialized protection training with her appointed training instructor, Shiala. Benezia took a personal interest in the training of Liara's future First and Riana hadn't minded at all when Benezia dictated that Riana travel with them so she could observe. They spent a lot of time on the Citadel, but they also saw some of the Sol System when they went to see the Humans, some of Palaven when they visited the Turians, and very little of Sur'Kesh when they visited the Salarians... everything there was some big secret and they never let any of the Asari off the compound. It was miserably hot and humid, the compound was claustrophobic and their every move was monitored and recorded. It quickly became their least favorite place to travel. For Riana, the best part of it all was when they had a bit of downtime that she could spend with Ryati. The worst part was that the trip to Gagarin Station was Riana's two-year anniversary as Liara's First-in-training and, with Benezia's blessing, Shiala had pronounced her training complete. It would be Riana's last trip with the travel team, but she still wouldn't be returning to Armali. Shiala had dictated that she needed to spend at least six months at each of the households to become familiar with the different personnel and procedures, so Riana was still a year out from returning to where she considered home.

Since their arrival at Gagarin Station, Benezia had felt an overbearing sense of foreboding that she couldn't shake. Her discomfort came mostly from the accidental discovery that Humans were natural biotics like the Asari, but their ability was controlled by a normally dormant gene that could be activated by exposure to eezo. What disturbed the Council community at large was that since the discovery of the dormant gene, it seemed that incidents of 'accidental' exposure seemed to increase soon afterward. The Humans claimed it was an item of interest now, so it wasn't that the number of 'accidents' had increased, just their reporting had. The Council questioned the veracity of the claim, but had no proof otherwise, so the trend continued unabated. As a result of the discovery, the Humans had purchased Gagarin station to convert it into a biotic research and training center and had surprisingly looked to the Turians as potential instructors. There was nothing Benezia could do to dissuade them, and it was immediately clear the Humans were more interested in the military applications than any of the other uses of biotics. Benezia sensed an impending clash between the two races; there was still an inherent dislike and mistrust between the two, so it was merely a matter of time. Benezia was actually relieved that Riana would be leaving them, content in the knowledge that Tevos and Riana were now both in a position to protect her daughter in the event war made Benezia no longer able to do so.

After Riana's departure, the team stayed on at the station and helped the Humans develop their training program, which they called BAaT, or Biotic Acclimation and Training. Three years time was miniscule in the life of a Matriarch, and almost before Benezia realized, it was spring of 2160 and Liara was due to graduate from her Secondary Education. Benezia made time to call her daughter and pass on her congratulations because she would not be able to attend in person.

As she started to explain why she would be unable to attend, Liara cut her off. "Don't worry about it, Mother. I honestly didn't expect you. You would have surprised me more by calling to say you were coming."

Benezia was momentarily taken aback before gathering herself to reply. "Liara T'Soni. There is no reason to be rude. I raised you better than that."

"Rude, Mother? If you are accusing _me_, I don't believe you understand the definition of the word." Liara closed her eyes for just a second before continuing. "Rude is calling to congratulate me on a graduation that isn't happening yet because of a decision you made and then promptly forgot about because to you it was inconsequential. A decision that made it impossible for me to graduate with my class, because I won't finish my coursework until the end of the summer... which will also make it too late to apply for my doctoral program this year. I almost wish you had been able to attend, if for nothing else than for the shock when you realized I wasn't there. Perhaps then you would have remembered."

Liara huffed and shook her head at the look of utter confusion on her mother's face. "I'm out on a field dig, Mother, fulfilling my last outstanding research requirement. If you ever looked at any of the messages I've sent, you would have been reminded of that, but I know you always file them away to read later. Only 'later' never seemed to come when I was concerned. You never have the time."

Tears started to stream down Liara's face. "I'm sorry I was such a disappointment that you felt the desire to completely bury yourself in your work to avoid me. But don't worry about it." She angrily wiped the tears off her cheeks and plowed ahead. The dam had broken and the nearly fifteen years of frustration and feelings of abandonment suddenly came pouring out of her. "Since you most likely won't take time to read my last note to you either, I'll just tell you my news. The University got a research grant from the Thessia Guildhall and they hired me to lead one of the teams. They hired _me_, Mother, based solely on the promise of my graduation at the end of the summer. So, I'll be staying on-site and working under the grant for the year until I can start my doctorate. I won't be returning to Thessia until school starts next year. So, like my non-graduation, you don't need to feel guilty about not getting back home to see me."

Liara glanced off to the side for a second and when her attention returned to the vid screen, her face held an expression that Benezia could only describe as pain. "Don't you find it rather telling that the first time you make room on your schedule to personally contact me in over three years, it's to tell me you won't be able to attend a graduation ceremony that isn't even mine?" Liara blew out a calming breath. "Well, at least I actually crossed your mind for a change; that's new. I'm supposed to be working and my professor is inquiring as to where I am. I need to go." Liara dipped her head in respect out of pure habit. "Thank you for actually taking time to call, Matriarch, no matter how misdirected it may have been."

As the screen went black, an absolutely dumbfounded Benezia stared at it for a long time. While Liara had ranted on, Benezia had slowly sunk into a chair at her desk in stunned silence. She was speaking to herself as she contemplated the very one-sided conversation. "By the Goddess. When did I so lose touch with my daughter and what is going on in her life? When did it all go so _wrong_?"

She opened her omnitool and looked at her private messages, only to discover Liara had spoken a suddenly very painful truth. Fifteen years of messages from her daughter sat unopened, unread and unanswered in a holding queue she had set up so long ago she had forgotten it. Over two-hundred messages. One at a time, starting with the oldest, the Matriarch started skimming, then reading. As she moved slowly forward through the fifteen years, she quickly realized that Liara had started out sending her weekly updates, telling her about her classes, inquiring as to her thoughts on research topics, asking her to review papers. Getting no response, over time the weekly notes had turned to every other week, then every month. The last five years, Liara had sent them less than once a quarter. But she had still sent them... telling her mother about her class standing, inviting her to ceremonies for the presentation of academic awards, her plans for the next series of classes... and still Benezia hadn't taken the time to read them. "For Goddess sake, Liara has already passed academic review and _published_ and I never paid it any attention!"

As she sat there, done reading about all the trials, tribulations and successes of her wonderful, smart, driven and accomplished daughter, Benezia realized that over the course of Liara's diatribe, while Liara had started out calling her 'mother,' by the end she had referred to her simply as 'Matriarch.' Liara had done to Benezia what she had done to Liara for so many years; depersonalized the conversation and treated her as just another business transaction. With the sudden realization of everything she had missed, Benezia hung her head in shame and cried.


	8. Archeology and Politics

**2160 - Gagarin Station (Jump Zero)**

Following the disastrous conversation with Liara, Benezia immediately sent a note of apology and tried her best to wrap things up on Gagarin Station so she could go visit her daughter and attempt to repair the relationship. She contacted the University and discovered the grant was for a research site on Kahje, and was a combined effort with the Hanar on their home-world's largest surface ruin. Unfortunately, Kahje was on the exact opposite pole of the galaxy from where Benezia was currently standing, so just the round trip would be a ten-day venture not including the visit time. It was also considered a protected religious site by the Hanar and the grant administrator told her getting permission to visit if not listed on the grant would be extremely difficult, downright impossible without identifying specific dates. That was out of the question for Benezia while in the middle of volatile Turian-Human negotiations. Her job as envoy made predicting her schedule for more than a couple of weeks at a time completely unfeasible.

Additional commitments never stopped dropping into her lap and her supposedly short-term assignment as envoy was quickly stretching into a five-year obligation. By the time the BAaT curriculum and instructor situation was somewhat settled, the Systems Alliance formed their Parliament on Arcturus Station and Benezia was required to attend as the representative for the Asari Matriarchy in November of 2160 to establish formal diplomatic and economic treaties.

The early part of 2161 was Benezia's first good opportunity to break away for a while and she worked with the grant administrator to schedule a visit to Liara's dig site. To say the least, she was unpleasantly surprised when she got the response that her application had been denied. Benezia was not at all pleased, as she felt the timeframe within which she had the opportunity to repair the relationship with her daughter quickly fading. "What do you mean, denied? Certainly they must realize I am a representative of the Asari government and a Consular Envoy?"

The administrator was sympathetic, but had no influence over the decision. She shrugged her shoulders as she spoke. "I'm sorry, Matriarch. I was very clear when I passed your credentials along with the request. Matter of fact, I think it may have actually hurt your chances because the Hanar representative who did the initial application review made some comment about there being no such envoy appointed to help them with integration when they joined the Council races, and wondered why the Humans deserved such special treatment."

"You have _got_ to be joking." Benezia put a hand to her forehead in frustration. "Obviously, you're not, but that's absurd. They should take it as a compliment that we thought them civilized enough to not be a threat and felt them capable enough in their own right that they didn't require our assistance!" She dropped her hand and refocused on the vid screen. "Well. It's too late to argue the point now. So, what was their 'official' reason for denying the application?"

"I'll just read it to you; it'll be easier than trying to explain their reasoning." The administrator picked up a data pad and flipped to the file, pausing and sighing before beginning to read.

"After vigilant and meticulous consideration of your aforementioned application, it is the humble opinion of this Illuminated Primacy that given the exceedingly generous duration of each Asari's presence in this corporeal galaxy, it is deemed both superfluous and irreverent to interrupt the righteous employment of our dutiful researchers when the duration of the labor is less than one year of your plentiful millennium. Of greater consequence, it is also the judgment of this Illuminated Primacy that the sanctified religious heritage sites of the most benevolent and gracious Enkindlers are not to be treated as idle curiosities to be scrutinized for what appears to be merely the satisfaction of one's personal inquisitiveness as to the character of your progeny's most esteemed occupation. Therefore, this Illuminated Primacy does lament to enlighten you that the aforementioned petition for visitation has been disapproved and necessitates that you postpone the desired renewal of your familial associations until said activity may be conducted at a more suitable location and point in time. Regrettably, this Office of Cultural and Religious Affairs of the Illuminated Primacy."

Benezia grimaced as she absorbed the meaning of the words, trying her best to ignore the odd speech patterns of the Hanar. "And I assume, based on their reasoning, they will not accept a new application for a different date?" Benezia asked the question, but her tone and the way she phrased it indicated she already knew the answer.

The administrator frowned. "That is correct, Matriarch. I truly am sorry, but their religious zealotry is well known, and you cannot say that I didn't warn you this would be the most likely outcome."

"Yes, yes. I know. But she's my daughter. I had to try." Benezia shook her head in annoyance. "Thank you for the attempt, even if it was doomed to failure. If you could please forward me a copy... I'd like to include it in my next note to Liara."

"Certainly, Matriarch. I'll do it right away. If that's all I can do for you, Lady Benezia?" Benezia did not fail to notice that the administrator's hand hovered over the disconnect key.

"Yes, thank you. I'll let you get back to work." As the screen went black, Benezia slumped in her chair in disappointment. "Goddess. At this rate, Liara is never going to forgive me."

Benezia hadn't realized that Captain T'Lasia had walked in toward the end of the conversation and overheard. "Has she not responded to any of your messages yet?"

"Rel. I... didn't hear you come in." Benezia spoke softly as she sat up a little straighter and turned her chair to face the guard captain. "No, she has not. Not that I can honestly blame her. I owe two more years of penance under her silent treatment and am still behind by at least sixty messages before she has repaid my neglect in full... I have no right to complain. And that is assuming she doesn't hold a grudge and plan to collect interest on my debt, which would be no more than I deserve." Benezia blinked her eyes in an attempt to stop tears from forming but all it did was force the droplets out upon her cheeks. "I was hoping an in-person visit would help my cause, but it's not in the tides. At least not for this year."

"I'm sorry, Matriarch. I wish there was something I could do" Relyna looked at the matriarch sadly, knowing she saw a side few were privy to. "I just wanted to tell you we're packed up and ready to return to Armali at your leisure. Everyone is looking forward to being home for Janiris this year. Let us hope the Goddess graces us with a quiet year and we are able to stay home for awhile. Though a trip to Kahje would have been welcomed, all things considered."

Benezia stood and flashed Rel a disheartened smile. "I think perhaps I'll spend some time at the Estate this summer; Liara always loved it there. Some time on the ocean would do us all good, I think." Drawing a shaky breath, Benezia picked up the last couple of datapads she had laying about and turned resolutely to the captain, reining in her emotions and becoming the controlled matriarch once more, before stepping back out into the public eye. "Come. Let's go home."

* * *

><p>Liara stood upright and stretched her back, trying to release some of the tension resulting from the long hours spent bending over artifacts while identifying and dating them. This particular ruin seemed to have originated in the third age, but there were hints that it lasted at least into the start of the fourth, before the Protheans had retreated under the seas. <em>Perhaps during my doctoral studies I will be able to gain access to one of the sanctuary domes beneath the waves...<em> She tried to take in a deep breath of the heavy sea air and coughed. She'd been on-site for almost six months, but there was no getting used to the atmosphere's thickness. Being permanently enveloped in clouds and having ninety percent of the planet's surface covered by water, it was like trying to breathe with a wet rag held over your mouth. Every third or fourth day, Liara wore a breathing mask, just to dry the air and give her lungs a break; Kahje was nothing like the light airiness of the Thessian shores. That line of thought brought her mind quickly to the message she had received from her mother the night before. Liara supposed she should reply, but all she would say was that she wasn't surprised. Her mother should have known the Primacy would never let someone stomp around the ruins just to come see her daughter. To the Hanar, the Protheans were practically gods, the Enkindlers as they called them, and even asking for such a thing was probably considered sacrilegious. _If she had really wanted to see me, she would have put some thought into it and written the request to come view the site as Matriarch Benezia T'Soni, Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies, instead of trying to invite herself in as a Consular Envoy._

She stepped back from the table she was working at and turned to scrutinize the worksite. "It's probably for the best. I wouldn't have had much time to visit anyway. We're on a deadline and there's too much to do to be taking time out for a... questionable... family reunion," she voiced her objection quietly to herself before searching out her Drell assistant.

She had no complaints about the work force she had been put in charge of. The Hanar on her team were fanatical workers and extremely careful with the artifacts, treating every piece, no matter how small or inconsequential, with reverence. The two Drell were hard workers as well, but never touched the artifacts unless an item had been selected to be shipped to one of the shrines. Then, Liara and the Hanar Lead, Tavelin, would carefully label and crate the selected item for the Drell to transport to one of the priests. Tavelin was quite taken with Liara's fascination with the Protheans and the honest excitement she exhibited over every find. After working side-by-side with her every day for four months and finding that her enthusiasm remained undiminished, he had actually told her his soul name, Seeks the Eminence of the Ancients. Hanar soul names were something reserved strictly for family and close friends, and Liara was pleased to be considered as a kindred soul and granted such an honor. Being trusted with such a thing elevated her in the eyes of the other Hanar and made working within the Primacy a bit easier, which was a welcome boon.

Liara finally found her target and waived to get her attention. "Rasha! It's beginning to get dark. Can you start turning the lights on, please?"

The female Drell's head bobbed in acquiescence. "Certainly, Liara. Are we continuing in zones three and five tonight?"

"Yes..." Liara glanced one more time through the site, "but I think we'll also be expanding into zone two. A lot of the recent finds have come close to its edge, so I think it's time to push in."

Rasha smiled, "Excellent! Amonti and Solitad have been bugging me about moving over. They'll be thrilled and can quit pestering me about it now!"

Liara laughed, both at Rasha's response and at the enthusiasm of the two youngest Hanar on the work site. "Good. I'm glad I can ease one of the _horrible_ burdens you are forced to carry."

Rasha's smile turned into a grin. "I'm sure it's only a temporary reprieve... within the week they'll be bored and wanting to move into zone one!"

At times like this, Liara absolutely loved what she was doing and couldn't imagine ever doing anything else. "Go!" Liara shook her head, still smiling. "Lights, Rasha. Lights!"

* * *

><p>The next four years passed more quickly than Benezia would have liked with a number of relatively small, yet explosive, incidents that kept her focus hopping about the galaxy. The Humans 'discovered' Gellix in 2161, the second planet in the Arrae system, and started to turn it into a penal colony. The Turians immediately protested, having claimed the planet after the Krogan Rebellions, and it took Benezia months to finally broker a lease agreement between the Humans and the Turians with the Volus acting as the intermediaries for all financial transactions. In the meantime, Human expansionism also started taking its toll on peaceful coexistence within the Council worlds with increased conflicts along the Skyllian Verge with the Batarians. The Batarians had established a history of aggression, so when the Hegemony asked the Citadel Council to declare the Verge an area of "Batarian interest," they garnered little sympathy and were refused. The Council's position was that the Hegemony had been part of the galactic community since the 1500s and if they hadn't colonized a world yet, the Humans had every right to do so. Benezia warned them that such an approach would lead to trouble, but the Council wanted the worlds colonized and productive, not used for transient slaver camps and pirate hideouts, so stuck by their decision.<p>

During the same timeframe, Benezia made several attempts to get together with Liara but their schedules just refused to mesh. Either Benezia was called away, her schedule completely unpredictable because of the tensions in the Verge, or Liara didn't have the time because her pursuit of a dual doctorate demanded that much of her time be spent at remote historical and archeological sites. Benezia read silently through Liara's latest missive, yet another disappointment on the reunification front.

_Apologies, Mother, but the dates you have selected once again don't work for me. I'll be out at Shastinasio on Invictus in the Wastes. It really is a intriguing example of Turian determination of the early 1900s. Yes, I know it has nothing to do with the Protheans and you're probably surprised, but it's one of the mandatory visits for my history 'Council Foundations' class. I must admit, I will be glad when my first series of classes is over and I can actually focus on my area of desired specialization. I know you are spending a lot of time in the Verge... perhaps you could meet me on Sol in four months? I'll be there studying the same time period in Human history. The trip sounds fascinating; 'Pre-industrial to Manned Space Flight in 200 Years, 1761 - 1961.' It took the Asari nearly 1700 years to do the same! How do you find dealing with the Humans?_

By the time she finished, Benezia was smiling. Even though her offer to visit had once again been rejected because of scheduling conflicts, for the first time in a very long while, Liara actually asked her about something... and better yet, she actually proposed an alternate date to try to get together. But, Benezia was concerned about the visit to Sol and called in Captain T'Lasia to speak with her about arrangements. When Relyna walked in, she could immediately tell the Matriarch was disturbed about something. "Lady Benezia. What's wrong?"

"Rel. Liara is speaking of being on Sol in four months for one of her classes and has asked us to join her there. I don't know if things will be calmed down yet from the assassination attempt on Volus Ambassador Tax by the Human, Johnstagg, so I need an estimate on how safe it will be. I realize the University provides security for the trips so please evaluate their capacity to handle whatever may happen. But you must be discreet. Liara is almost actually talking to me again; I don't want to put her off now, by making her think I don't trust her to take of herself."

Rel thought for just a moment before replying. "That actually shouldn't be difficult. You're currently in negotiations with the Humans for their Embassy on the Citadel. We should be able to check in easily on the political climate on Earth without gathering any undue attention. But to be certain, I'll handle it personally."

"Thank you. Please contact the University to get a copy of the planned agenda. I just hope the actual dates don't conflict with the Embassy opening, because I will need to be on the Citadel for that. Knowing how bad our luck has been, it wouldn't surprise me in the least."

Rel actually laughed at the matriarch's dour expression. "She asked. Be happy. It's definitely a step in the right direction."

"Yes, you're right, of course. Whether or not it can truly happen, at least she's willing to consider such a thing. Even six months ago, I wouldn't have dared hope for it." Benezia smiled again. "Thank you, Rel."

As the captain nodded and left the office, Benezia turned back to her desk to draft a reply.

_We'll contact the University for the trip itinerary and I'll do my utmost to find a good meeting time and place. Thank you for the invitation... It means more to me than I think you realize. It has been too long since I have seen my Little Wing. As for how I find the Humans, that is a difficult question. I have looked into their history and for the millennium of my lifetime they have been little more than savages, their world constantly at war, including during the period you spoke of with such fascination. It seems as if war is a primary driver for their technological advancements. We must somehow provide them with other alternatives for promoting growth._

_Under our guidance, I would hope they begin to enter an age of peaceful coexistence, but I find them still very much the bully; brash, arrogant, rude and seemingly always in a hurry. Not quite as abrupt as the Salarians, though, so I tend to think it has much to do with their longevity being barely over a century. How they deal with the Batarians along the Verge indicates they are not quite ready for an age of true enlightenment yet, but I still have hope. I blame that mostly on the Batarians and I pray the Humans will find a kinder path and rise above such barbarism. Only the future knows and I do not have the sight to predict how the tides will flow._

* * *

><p>Not two months later, Benezia's world exploded in conflict. The Systems Alliance was granted their Embassy on the Citadel and the Batarians were furious, still angry about the Council's reaction to Human expansion in the Verge. In reprisal, the Batarians found an irresistible target and struck the fledgling associate members, hoping to have their embassy rights withdrawn. A Batarian-led band of Blue Suns attacked a facility on Sidon, revealing an illegal AI research program being run by the Systems Alliance. The Batarian plan didn't work; Human ambassador Goyle played her cards well and after an impassioned speech about the need to understand synthetic intelligences to effectively deal with races like the Geth, the Council backed down. She challenged them to prove the Humans were the only race conducting AI research and stated that humanity was not so naive as to believe such an obviously naive assumption. She quickly volunteered David Anderson as the first Human Spectre candidate to help track down the Batarian responsible for that attack, as well as the missing scientists responsible for the research.<p>

The Council agreed and selected Turian Spectre Saren Arterius, both for the mission and to evaluate Anderson as a Spectre. The pair successfully tracked their targets to an eezo refinery but the mission ended in disaster; the Batarian leader and the scientists dead, the refinery destroyed. Saren blamed Anderson for the failure and Anderson accused Saren of framing him, saying Saren blew up the building and stole the research, but the Council found no definitive evidence either way and sided with their existing Spectre, denying Humanity's first candidate entry to the elite program. Anderson's rejection and the quick dismissal of his allegations against Saren reignited tensions between the Humans and the Turians and Benezia once again found herself incredibly busy, attempting to soothe battered egos. With the fragile peace Benezia had worked so hard to broker threatening to collapse, the so-far unsuccessful attempt at reunification with her daughter once again fell by the wayside.

In an attempt to start reconciliation, Benezia tried to find common ground between Saren and Anderson, but instead discovered discrepancies in Saren's version of events at Sidon. Looking into Spectre activities proved impossible, so she was forced to change her approach and began to investigate his background. She quickly found that Saren's brother had died in the First Contact war and the Spectre held severe anti-Human leanings. Knowing that individual Spectres held an extraordinary amount of authority and influence on Council decisions and policy, Benezia decided that in order to be successful in truly integrating Humans into the Council, she had to find a way to mitigate Saren's prejudice. Saren quickly realized he was being scrutinized by the influential Asari matriarch and decided it would be prudent to just drop out of sight for awhile. Not knowing the reason behind it, Benezia breathed a sigh of relief when Saren's anti-Human rhetoric died down and, in early 2167, he refocused his activities out in the Terminus instead of in the Verge. All that mattered to Benezia was that the Turian Spectre was no longer constantly irritating the Humans.

Meanwhile, Liara finished her first series of doctoral classes and began happily gallivanting about, visiting cultural heritage sites and Prothean ruins, literally all over the galaxy. Catching up to her was nigh on impossible, and Benezia was ecstatic when she received the occasional missive describing where Liara had been and to know for sure that her daughter was still alive and well and not dead in some far corner of the galaxy. She charged Captain T'Lasia with tracking her down with the end goal of attaching Riana Iregos to her as an escort, but Liara proved elusive and after a year Relyna gave up and had to admit her failure to the Matriarch.

"What do you mean, you can't find my daughter?" Benezia stood and glowered at her captain. "You've had an entire year, and you haven't been able to cross her path? Not once?" The matriarch stared at her in disbelief. "You have two squads of trained commandos at your beck and call, you're trying to find an inexperienced maiden, and she's eluded you for an entire year! I don't understand how that's possible. Can someone please explain it to me?"

Shiala actually laughed at the situation, and when the matriarch's penetrating gaze turned on her, she just shrugged. "You have no idea, Lady T'Soni. She's virtually impossible to track. We received her travel schedule from her doctoral advisor and it was _totally_ worthless! Liara misses transport calls. She doesn't show up where or when we expect her. She gets a hint of something that sounds interesting and she changes her tickets at the last minute to chase a new lead and ends up somewhere other than where she's scheduled. What's worse is she doesn't even tell her advisor... no one knows where she is until she sends her next missive and by the time we get it, she's already on her way to her next destination. We are constantly at least one step behind. She is _completely_ unpredictable. I just thank the Goddess she's not a deadly criminal!"

Benezia stared at the look of incredulity on Shiala's face and her own frustration started to turn to humor as she realized the ridiculousness of the situation. She closed her eyes and threw her hands up in surrender, "Goddess, help us. The T'Soni commandos have been stymied by an eccentric, ninety-year-old academic!" After a moment she reopened her eyes as she chuckled. "So, any thoughts on how my normally elite commandos plan to reclaim their honor?"

Rel drew a deep breath and exhaled it explosively. "Absolutely none. We've tried all our tricks." She shrugged. "I figure, if we can't catch her, no one else can either, so she's pretty safe."

Benezia shook her head. "As unexpected as this all is, I really would like you to find her. I can't stand the thought of her being out there alone for the entire remaining nine years of her doctoral program." Her hand went up and she rubbed her forehead. "I don't care how you do it. She's certainly not a starving student, so we can't simply put out breadcrumbs and expect her to follow them home. Just... Try to think of _something_. Would you, please?"

* * *

><p>With Saren slipping out of the picture, Benezia thought there was a chance of things slowing down a bit, but despite her best efforts to find common ground between the two races, Turian antagonism and pride still almost managed to break the fragile relationship with the Humans. A newly arrived Turian BAaT instructor, Commander Vymnus, continually provoked the biotic students at Gagarin Station, even going so far as to introduce himself to one of the students by stating, "I was at the helm of the dreadnought that killed your father."<p>

Vymnus was not popular by any stretch of the imagination and his training tactics were severe. He eventually pushed too far and broke an arm on one of the female students; one of the male students came to her aid and, displaying a typical student's lack of biotic control, accidentally killed the instructor during the ensuing altercation. The political fallout resulted in all the Turian instructors being ordered back to Palaven and the BAaT program being shut down in 2169. Surprisingly enough, the Council's relatively quick and non-partisan intervention issued in an era of peace between the Humans and the Turians, but Benezia's sigh of relief came too quickly. Less than six months later, the conflict between the Batarians and the Humans came to a head at the colony of Mindoir, where Batarian slavers destroyed the entire colony and most of the residents were killed or captured. Matriarch Benezia's protracted attempts to negotiate a peace agreement between the two races was a spectacular failure and when ultimately threatened by the Council with sanctions because of the slave trade, the infuriated Batarian Hegemony closed their Citadel Embassy in 2171, severed all diplomatic and economic treaties, and withdrew to their home systems under a policy of isolationism as a rogue state, supplied and supported by the very slavers and pirates the Council had feared.

The next five years were littered with Batarian raids all across the Human colonies, finally culminating in the Skyllian Blitz in 2176, a major Batarian assault on the Human-run colony of Elysium. It was a popular garden world and the capitol, Illyria, boasted a population of over six million, half of which were non-humans. The massive Batarian assault was successfully repelled by the Humans and a young female Alliance officer by the name of Samantha Shepard became the golden child of the galaxy. Following the virtual meeting with the Citadel Council about the incident, the normally calm and controlled Benezia came out of the communications room and stormed back to her office. Captain T'Lasia slipped in behind her and closed the door, but not before the entire staff either saw, or at least heard, Benezia explode in an extremely rare fit of anger. The matriarch threw a datapad onto her desk with such force it skipped off, bounced across the floor and shattered against a wall. "By the Goddess! Sometimes I would swear the entire galaxy has conspired against us!"

T'Lasia didn't budge. She knew Benezia would eventually calm down and explain what had caused such an outburst. She was correct, and as Benezia paced angrily back and forth in the room, she gave the captain a quick synopsis of the Batarian's actions on Elysium and the amazing hold action performed by an incredibly small Alliance ground force. "I'm sorry, Matriarch, but I really don't understand how a Batarian pirate raid turns into a galactic conspiracy against House T'Soni." T'Lasia readied herself to withstand the assault from Benezia, but it never came.

Instead, Benezia collapsed into a chair, looking ready to burst into tears. "By 'us,' I mean Liara and myself." The confused look on Rel's face prompted the matriarch to explain more of what was going through her mind. "The Council wants me at the Citadel immediately, followed by a trip to Arcturus to talk with the Alliance Defense Committee in order to prevent all-out war with the Goddess be damned Batarians!"

Benezia paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "Liara has finished all of her formal class work and next week is the presentation of her doctoral thesis proposal to the board. The results will determine the course of her next three years of research for her final dissertation. I already told her I would be there to support her and, instead, I'm going to be three relay hops away on damned Arcturus Station!"

Captain T'Lasia's eyes opened wide in understanding. The last time Liara had actually been home was in 2155, when she and Benezia had a huge fight about Liara's choices concerning her University degree. The next few years had been rocky, Liara finally exploding in open rebellion in 2159, issuing, amongst other accusations, a somewhat sarcastic apology to the matriarch for having been such a disappointment to her. When faced with Liara's statements, Benezia actually accepted fault for their poor relationship and had been working consistently at trying to reconcile with her daughter ever since, but Benezia's work and Liara's school schedules seemed to be in constant conflict, making it a difficult process for both of them. In spite of the hardships, over the last few years the communications between them had improved slightly, but they still had not managed to coordinate schedules to meet in person and truly resolve their differences. The matriarch had not actually seen Liara in over twenty years and it was finally supposed to happen the very next week. Until the Skyllian Blitz and Benezia's new assignment at Arcturus.

T'Lasia frowned. "And Humans are impatient. They'll only wait so long before they go to war. But I have to say I'm with them on this one; over a million of those colonists are Asari!"

"No, they won't wait... but Rel, we can't risk a full-scale war. It always hurts more than just those we seek to punish. I'm sorry to do this to you again, but as much as I hate it, we need to make haste; I have to go immediately. So, please make the arrangements and... I need to speak with Riana." Benezia looked to her captain. "Thank you, Rel."

Captain T'Lasia bowed. "Think nothing of it, Matriarch. It's why I'm here. It is my honor to serve you and House T'Soni." She stood back up straight. "I'll inform Aratiana, activate the Guard, and have Riana sent to you. I'll inform you as soon as we are ready to depart."

It wasn't long before Riana was knocking on her door. "Matriarch. You needed to see me?"

The matriarch was standing at the window looking out over the city and didn't turn as she spoke. "Yes, Riana." She hung her head and whispered. "I'm sure you've heard what has happened and I must ask you for a difficult, but very important, personal favor..."

* * *

><p>Riana was nervous as she stood before the door, dressed in ceremonial leathers and a special package tucked under her arm. She had been assured Mistress Liara was home and had knocked, but had not yet gotten a response. She knocked again, louder, wondering if perhaps Liara was napping. She suddenly heard a disgusted exclamation inside the campus apartment. "Goddess! I ignored you the first time for a reason! I'm very busy trying to prep..." The door was yanked open abruptly and Liara's words died in her throat when she saw a T'Soni commando standing in her doorway. A puzzled frown crossed her face as she spoke. "Has my mother arrived early?" Before Riana could reply, the maiden continued. "No. It's days too soon and you would be Shiala." She turned from the door and walked away, speaking over her shoulder. "Well, do come in and close the door behind you. I'll make tea and you can tell me why you're here. But I'm very busy fine-tuning my thesis proposal, so I ask that you get directly to the point."<p>

Riana did as she was told, and as she stepped in she quickly realized Liara had no news source turned on and was most likely completely oblivious to what had happened. It made her job that much more difficult, but the matriarch had warned her it would likely be the case, so she was prepared. She followed Liara into the kitchenette and started speaking, explaining about what had happened at Elysium and the request from the Council. Liara held her hand up and stopped Riana, her expression resigned. "So my mother sent you instead of calling me." Liara blinked slowly and let out a quiet, disappointed huff. "I don't know why I really expected anything other than a last minute cancellation. She's very good at that."

Riana was under orders from the Matriarch, so squared her shoulders and prepared for Liara's wrath. "Think what you will, Mistress, but your mother really did have every intention of coming next week. She was furious with the Council decision and created quite the spectacle as she stomped through the house to her office, cursing the Batarians. I've never seen her so angry." Liara was readying a retort when Riana shook her head and pulled the box out from under her arm, holding it out. "She knows your research will carry you far afield, and since she cannot go with you, she commissioned this for you. She was confident in your success and had her heart set on presenting it to you in person after the board _accepted_ your thesis proposal."

For the first time since Riana's arrival, there was actually doubt on Liara's face. She slowly reached for the box and took it gingerly from Riana's grasp as she asked quietly, "What is it?"

Riana suppressed a smile and answered softly. "A gift." Liara gave her a look that made Riana laugh. "It has been twenty years, but things haven't changed all that much, have they, Mistress?"

Liara still held the box carefully but frowned thoughtfully at the commando's words; they had been spoken in a tone too familiar for a commando she had never met. "What do you mean?"

Riana smiled. "Your mother is _still_ proud of you, Mistress... and while she may still have trouble saying the actual words to you, perhaps the matriarch has learned how to _show_ it a bit better."

Riana watched as Liara's mind started working. The maiden's eyes seemed to dart back and forth like she was reading invisible text in front of her as she sorted through her memories. Liara knew she had heard similar words before and was working hard trying to remember when and where. It suddenly hit her and she gasped as her eyes lit up in recognition. "You! It was _you_ in the practice room! You spoke to me the day my mother and I had that awful argument!"

Riana laughed lightly at the reaction and nodded. "Yes, Mistress. That was me. Did I not tell you, you would go far? Look at you. Your mother has every reason to be proud. You are following your dreams and will soon be _Doctor_ T'Soni."

Liara rolled her eyes. "I never even got your name! I was so embarrassed by my lack of manners, I didn't dare ask anyone at the house... It bugged me until I got so busy with that session's finals I finally let it go..." Liara looked straight at Riana and shrugged apologetically. "I never ran into you again, so assumed you were one of the second team commandos who was gone after a year... I'm very glad I was wrong." Liara's voice got quiet and she looked at the floor. "I never forgot your words. You restored my belief in myself that day."

"Thank you." Liara's head came back up and her eyes sparkled. "So, I ask again. What is it?"

Riana laughed, "And I answer again. It is a gift, for you, from your mother. Please open it. She directed me to stay to answer the questions you will undoubtedly have about it."

Liara's brow knit, wondering what it could possibly be that would require a commando to answer questions. She started to open the box and stopped, looking again to the mystery commando in front of her. "I'm not going to open this until you answer one more question for me." Riana looked at her expectantly and waited. Liara shifted the box to one hand while the other made a fist and rested on her hip. "I'll not let myself do this again. What's your name, Huntress?"

Riana busted out in laughter and it took her a moment to collect herself before she was able to answer. "It's Riana. Vanguard Riana Iregos at your service, Mistress." She dipped her head in respect to Liara, but still had a wide smile on her face.

Liara's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "Vanguard? Well then. It's very nice to meet you, Riana. For the second time." Liara smiled. "I guess we'll see just what Mother sent me."

Liara opened the package only to reveal another box, the inside one some type of storage box made of beautifully carved wood, with a hinged lid and a lock. Puzzled, Liara pulled it out and set it carefully on the counter before undoing the latch and lifting the lid. "Goddess." Liara stared at the sleek pistol in the box, matte midnight black on a bed of blue velvet, the T'Soni crest inlaid in the grip. "It's beautiful, but why would she give me this?" Her eyes came off the pistol and she looked at Riana.

The commando's expression was pure business. "It's a Haliat Armory Stiletto, and it's the best commercially available pistol out there made for an entry-level user. It's simple to maintain, reliable and packs a good punch. The Turians might be a pain in the ass sometimes, but they know guns. And the Matriarch got it for you because your solo travels around the galaxy during your doctoral studies scared her to death. She always waited impatiently for your next missive, the longer intervals giving her fits as she wondered if you were lying dead on some faraway planet or in the hands of some malcontent waiting to use you as revenge against her."

Riana smirked. "She even sent the commandos after you at one point but your unpredictable travel pattern sent them home in shame, having to tell the matriarch you had eluded them." She watched Liara's eyes get big as she explained. "They tracked you for a year and you were always at least one step ahead." Riana could no longer hold it in and started to chuckle. "I never would have known, but Shiala told me one night while we were relaxing after dinner. She said that your mother was at first angry, and then entertained by the idea that her daughter, a ninety-year-old academic, had managed to avoid the best of the T'Soni commandos without even trying."

Liara couldn't help but laugh along with the commando. "I know I shouldn't be laughing, but I can just picture it! I can't believe she was so worried about me. I have my biotics..."

"Yes, you do. And they are very formidable. But biotics can be blocked, and without a backup plan..." Riana looked at the maiden with absolute sincerity. "Mistress. In the hands of evil, things can happen that are much worse than death. The commandos have a saying for those situations; when faced with insurmountable odds, save the last round for yourself."

Liara paled when she realized what Riana was talking about and her voice shook as she spoke. "By the Goddess. I... I don't know that I could."

Riana nodded. "_That_ is why you need a reliable pistol. And why you have me."

Liara's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Have you? I don't understand."

"The matriarch is leaving to try to stop yet another war and her return from such things is never guaranteed." Riana suddenly stood up straight and bowed formally, as she would in the presence of the matriarch. When she straightened, she was stoic as she continued, "And if you will have me, it will be my job to ensure you never find yourself in the position where you have to take that final shot. I have been honored with the nomination to be your First."


	9. The Archaeologist

**Fall, 2177 - University of Serrice**

Riana stood to the side with her arms crossed in defiance, a scowl from her conversation with Liara prominent on her face. She had been with Liara since her thesis presentation was accepted and had been bored to death as the doctoral student submitted site visit applications and established her research travel schedule. Just when it looked like she would finally be able to actually do her job, she was told she wouldn't be traveling with her charge. Riana was not happy. "Mistress, I still don't understand why the board refused the request that I accompany you, even after the House verified they would completely pay my way, at no cost to the university!"

Liara let out an exasperated sigh. "Because, Riana. We've discussed this already. The doctoral work must be unquestionably my own and they made it quite clear that I can take no one who could possibly serve as a research advisor." Liara continued to pack. "If I was attending some off-world school, we could plead an Asari culture argument, but Serrice? They know full well the implications of their decision and want to ensure the Matriarch isn't sending someone to help me, under the guise of being a T'Soni commando."

"Guise? By the Goddess! I attended my commando training at this very university! One of their own professors vouched for me! Professor Trani is the one who sent me to House T'Soni..." Riana became more frustrated as the discussion continued.

Liara stopped and turned to face Riana. "Who also has a cousin employed by the House. The board won't trust in her impartiality, especially knowing my mother and how much of a long-term planner and manipulator she can be." A short burst of laugher escaped Liara. "Not that I blame them. My mother is very good at what she does. Too good, sometimes."

Riana grumped. "I think that's probably what's most annoying about their refusal. I can sympathize with their concerns, but I do _not_ like that they question the matriarch's and my integrity when we stated the purpose of my going with you."

Liara closed her eyes for a moment before opening them back again, now with a steely glare. "Enough, Riana. I understand your anger and frustration, but you have pushed it to a point of distraction that I can no longer tolerate. I have preparations to make and work to do, so if you aren't going to help me, then at least stop hindering me with pointless repeated arguments!"

Riana glared back for a moment before acquiescing. "Fine. Besides, I already packed a small bag for you. It has a compact travel case for your Stiletto, much smaller than that clunky decorative box, some spare sinks that I hope you never need, and an emergency transmitter, which I hope you never have occasion to use."

Liara frowned and her head came out of her closet as she turned to look at the commando. "A what?"

Riana sighed. "You heard me, Mistress. An emergency transmitter. I can't _stay_ with you, but that doesn't mean I can't be close enough to come to your aid in an emergency. If you run into any trouble, University be damned. You press a short code into the transmitter and I'll get to you as fast as I can. The comm buoys will triangulate your position and have it pinpointed, so I'll know exactly where you are when I get dirt-side."

Liara blinked in surprise. "I don't know what to say, Riana. I can't imagine needing such a thing but I suppose it's not a bad idea to carry it with me, provided it doesn't take much space. But won't you be bored out of your mind?"

Riana ignored the question of boredom as irrelevant and explained about the device. "It's very compact and fits easily in one hand; smaller than a heat sink. Nothing more than a transmitter and power source with five number buttons down the side to be punched in the right sequence. Very simple and nondescript. A red indicator comes on as long as the distress beacon is functional. Renter the code to cancel the request; the light will flash green for a few seconds then the unit will deactivate itself after broadcasting the all-clear message. Simple."

Liara nodded. "Very good. And what happens then?"

Riana looked at Liara with an expression that brokered no argument. "I come find you either way, Mistress. First, to make sure you are alright. Second, to confirm you were not forced to terminate the signal. At that point, whoever has harmed you will be very, very sorry and will likely not survive the encounter."

* * *

><p>Liara had selected and proposed five known sites for her research, planning six months for each of them, including preparation and travel time, and reserving the final six months to finalize the collation of her data and prepare her thesis presentation. Many desirable sites fell out of consideration because of the cost; they were out in the Terminus Systems and the security budget alone was more than the university was willing to fund. The sites on Thessia had already been well catalogued and Liara had all the material from the Thessian Guildhall Archives. She had also spent significant time at each of the main sites over the course of her studies, so her research immediately took her off-world.<p>

Liara's first order of business was a return to Kahje to get into one of the submerged ruins. With the Hanar near-fanatical protection of all things Prothean, she assumed material would be well preserved and she was not disappointed. Her previous work for the Primacy almost guaranteed approval of her research permit and they quickly granted her access to one of the largest of their sites, Mount Vassla. Liara was disappointed that she would be on a mountain instead of one of the underwater locations, but knew better than to protest the site location so graciously provided by the Hanar government. Because of her lack of inquiry into the location, she was pleasantly surprised and relieved once she landed and was met by her good friend Rasha, who immediately laughed at Liara's assumption that the site was above ground just because it was called 'Mount' Vassla. "Have no fear, Liara. The Illuminated Primacy would not deny your request; they were extremely pleased with our previous work. Mount Vassla is an underwater volcano at the heart of the third largest ruin on all of Kahje. It is a great honor for an outsider to be granted access to such a site, with the only higher honor perhaps being allowed admittance to one of the shrines. Both events are extremely rare. It is a highly revered site and the nexus of celebrations for the Hanar holiday of the 'First Cresting Bloom,' also known as Nyahir."

Liara was ecstatic, both for the location and by the fact they had provided Rasha as her assistant for the five months of research time. Though submerged, the site was enclosed in a controlled atmospheric bubble and was undeniably fourth age, the technology similar to other sites settled after the extinction event had begun. While some parts of the site were open to the public, a large portion was protected and set aside for the researchers and religious scholars. Liara told Rasha what she was looking for and sent the Drell to the research archives while she wandered the site looking for anything pertinent to the Prothean extinction. The Hanar were surprised to see an outsider, but more than happy to assist once they were introduced. Apparently, the Primacy had announced her coming and they were told to extend every courtesy; Liara was humbled, which only managed to endear her even more to every Hanar she met.

Her second stop was in the Sol system for a quick side trip into the Prothean ruins on Mars. It wasn't a major research point, but Liara figured since she was transiting the system anyway, it didn't hurt to stop and look. The Humans had obviously cleared the site of any useable technology, but that was not Liara's focus and the curators of the small facility were more than happy to answer her questions. It seemed the facility was a biosciences observation post that the Protheans used to study early Humanity. The scientists equated it to man's study of the great apes, which required a whole other explanation about the theory of the evolution of man. The removal of the Prothean databases and the focus of the personnel currently in the ruins being to debunk theories of Human religious 'creationism' quickly led Liara to conclude all the Prothean data she was interested in was being housed elsewhere; somewhere she did not have access to. She said her farewells and eagerly returned to Sol to catch the shuttle to her next location.

By the spring of 2178, Liara had moved on to Eden Prime. Established in 2152, it was one of the first Human colonial enterprises, settled five years before the First Contact War. When she completed her initial research during site selection, Liara was surprised at the size of the colonization effort, with the population being close to three million after less than thirty years. She did the quick math in her head, realizing the colony was sustaining a growth rate of well over one hundred thousand every year. She was initially concerned about the dig sites, but her fears were eased as soon as the shuttle flew in. The habitations were very efficient, and the majority of the land was preserved for the agrarian economy, leaving the planet relatively undisturbed. Colonial farming was hard work, filled with long days and short nights, so the populace left most of the Prothean ruins to the scientists, finding much better ways to utilize their limited free time. That boded well for Liara and, once again, her expectations were exceeded. The scientific community was small, meaning the sites still contained a lot of raw data collection opportunities and the researchers there were more than happy to have an attractive young Asari provide them with her Prothean expertise. Her time went too quickly and she put Eden Prime on the list of sites she wanted to revisit in the future.

When Liara headed to the port to transit to her next location, she received some very unwelcome information. There were two missives awaiting her, one from her mother and one from her doctoral advisor. She sat down in the passenger lobby and read the one from her advisor first.

* * *

><p><em>Liara, <em>

_I have unfortunate news. I have been notified that your research permit for the site on Feros has been rescinded. Apparently, a commercial enterprise purchased rights to the site and all related research. Whoever wrote the contract was either very bad at their job and did not adequately research existing permits, or the Human corporation that purchased the rights, ExoGeni, paid them off to remove the standard pre-existing permits clause in the purchase contract. Either way, it equates to exclusionary rights in their name and they are granting no exterior permits at this time. They kept this very quiet; had I known it was in the works, I would have juggled your schedule and had you start there. I apologize for the opportunity lost._

_I also received a copy of a flash missive from your mother. If you have not yet read it, do so before you attempt transit of the Attican Beta relay. Pirate activity has been excessive and there is something going on that is severely delaying transit times, as all ships are being boarded and examined. No exceptions. Your mother cautions that you should stay away for two or three months to be safe. Based on this and your findings at Eden Prime as to the number of virgin sites, I would suggest you go to the colonial leadership and request an extension to stay right where you are for an extra six months. You'll actually get in a few more extra days of research because of the savings in travel time and, by then, everything in AB should be settled down._

_Tides are,_

_Matriarch Matiana_

* * *

><p><em>FLASH PRIORITY: EXTREMELY URGENT<em>

_Liara: Please heed. Extreme Systems Alliance anti-pirate actions ongoing in Armstrong Nebula. Attican Beta relay is active control point and all non-human through-traffic is being boarded, searched and questioned. Your research permits would probably allow you passage, but all heavily armed commando teams would likely be detained, potentially for a significant period of time, until operations are complete and the Alliance takes time to verify credentials. You would likely lose the entire security team, just as you enter an active pirate zone. Forgive me for taking the liberty of advancing a copy of this to both Riana and your advisor. Please follow any advice either one of them provides. Allow a minimum of two months, preferably three for operations to conclude. I know I haven't always shown you the attention you deserve, but I love you, Liara. Please stay safe and come home to me. Mother._

_FLASH PRIORITY: EXTREMELY URGENT_

* * *

><p>Liara sat back and stared at the flash missive, but the content fell to the background with the last two sentences. "I know I haven't always shown you the attention you deserve, but I love you, Liara. Please stay safe and come home to me."<p>

Of all the content contained within the two messages, the open and honest confession by her mother was the most unexpected. Liara folded the missives and tucked them away before wiping away the tears she felt drifting down her cheeks. With a soft smile, she stood and headed to the government hall to show the antiquities department the missives and request her extension. Fortunately, the spaceport was in the capital of Constant, so the trip was a relatively short one and they saw no reason to not grant the request, so Liara soon had a new permit in hand. She drafted a quick note to her advisor, thanking her for the advice and providing her new permit number for the university records, before drafting the response to her mother.

_Mother, _

_Thank you for your timely warning. I have extended my permit here on EP for the duration of six months. It actually works out well, because a corporation bought up exclusive rights to Feros and my research permit for the site there was rescinded. Relatively untouched sites are plentiful here, so there is an abundance of research opportunities to keep me busy. On the schedule, Chasca will slip from slot three to four and I will still finish out on Quana, as originally planned since the specialty team required there would be most difficult to reschedule._

_I would like to see you when I return to Thessia to prepare my doctoral presentation. Certainly, we should be able to find a few days within the six-month window? I suddenly find myself looking very much forward to our reunion. I know we have both said and done regrettable things, but they are all in the past. I love you too, Mother._

_Always your Little Wing,_

_Liara_

* * *

><p>Her research progressed steadily, with all evidence continuing to confirm the Prothean's unexplained decline and complete disappearance occurred within a span of less than four hundred years. It was the very lack of a definitive cause that was the basis for Liara's thesis. It was as if over the same time period, every Prothean in the galaxy packed their bags and emigrated to a completely different galaxy. They simply vanished off every planet they had ever occupied, and as Liara continued to diligently hunt for any clues as to the why, the continued lack of evidence only strengthened her convictions that a long-lived, non-organic life form attempted to methodically remove all evidence of the Prothean existence.<p>

Benezia smiled and shook her head when she got Liara's latest report on her complete inability to yet find a single clue that pointed to war, disease, or any mass extinction event of any kind in regard to the Protheans. The matriarch had never seen anyone be so excited about such a complete lack of evidence. She had warned her daughter about the difficulty in proving a negative, but Liara was adamant that she could find sufficient evidence to prove what didn't cause the Prothean extinction as to enable her to theorize on the singular remaining viable option. Benezia smiled as she recalled Liara's rejoinder to her objections; Liara confidently stated that while it may be difficult for her to prove the negative, with the lack of evidence to anything else, it would be even more difficult for the Doctoral Review Board to dispute it, when no solid evidence existed to support their argument. In the end, Benezia had to laugh and acquiesce when she realized Liara was right; the very lack of evidence was her strongest argument. The matriarch smiled at the memory, and it was with great sorrow that she typed her next missive, knowing she would miss the increasing communication and banter she had found such pleasure in over the last year.

_Liara,_

_I will be out of touch for a while. You will recall my lament about a certain disruptive Turian Spectre. He has shown back on the scene and has hinted to me of a dangerous plot developing out near the fringes of the Veil. I must go to him and at least attempt to steer him to a gentler path. I will miss you, my daughter, but look forward to my return and our reunion. I cannot wait to watch you cross the stage and earn your well deserved doctorates. Stay safe and, Goddess willing, I will see you again on Thessia._

_Mother_

* * *

><p>In the spring of 2179, with the Attican Beta relay open for travel and the pirate threat greatly reduced, Liara bid farewell to the plethora of opportunity she had found on Eden Prime and turned her attention to the large low-density world of Chasca. The planet was locked in rotation around its sun, Matano, in such a way that one side of the planet always faced the sun and was constantly exposed to intolerable heat, while the opposite side was bathed in a frigid eternal darkness. A narrow band surrounded the planet on the border between the two extremes where the temperature hovered at a near constant 30 degrees Celsius, providing a habitable belt of constant daylight. The planet had initially attracted attention during a mining survey, having a mix of rare as well as light and heavy minerals. That prompted a more detailed survey, and it was the follow-on team that discovered what they thought was a relatively small structure, but it was the uniqueness of the structure that made it interesting. Most Prothean cities had distinctive architectural styles but still possessed an overall pattern that was easily identifiable as an urban metropolis. This stand-alone structure was a pyramid, composed of an unidentified material and surrounded by speculation. It wasn't until the discovery of a data disk that it caught the attention of Prothean scholars and when they finally managed to find an entrance that gave them access to a few upper layers, they were able to run full scans of the structure. What they found was astounding; the small pyramid that stuck out of the ground on the mountaintop was but a small fraction of the structure in its entirety. Nearly ninety percent of the structure was literally buried in the rock of the mountain and conjecture on how it got there abounded.<p>

How it got to its current location was not what interested Liara. While the engineers poured over the structural and mechanical questions, Liara searched the extensive living quarters. The Pyramid housed thousands, each pristine room as individual as the next. She took image after image and utilized her extensive skill set to find any clue as to why and when the structure had been abandoned. She finally theorized it was from an intermediary stage, when the Protheans had begun to retreat underground, but still refused to give up their access to the surface. _Perhaps they hoped that such a small pyramid sticking up would not attract attention. Whatever their reasoning, they were apparently proven wrong. _

Whatever was starting to happen had not yet reached a level where they felt the pressing need to vanish from the surface. It apparently had eventually reached that crossroads, however, and just like all the other cities, the Protheans suddenly abandoned the pyramid. No nearby graveyards, no bodies left behind of those who refused to evacuate. Just gone. She became more and more convinced that someone, or something, had gone to great lengths to ensure not a single trace of Prothean culture remained.

When Liara had done all she could do within the pyramid, she set her mind on her trip to Quana. She had heard rumors of another Alliance operation and had queried her mother, but as she expected, she got no reply. She had heard nothing from Benezia since her last missive stating she would be out of touch. Liara had not liked the tone of the short note; it had a feeling of finality to it. The matriarch had mentioned danger and added an off-hand prayer at the end. _Goddess willing, I will see you again on Thessia. _It was the first time in her life that Liara had ever sensed doubt in her mother's words. They had come far in the last five years and Liara was actually looking forward to their planned reunion. As she pondered moving through the Attican Beta relay to her last research stop, Liara thought of the warning her mother had sent to her just before her last trip through the same. The doctoral student shivered involuntarily and whispered the same words her mother had written, "Please stay safe and come home to me, Mother."

Quana was an old Prothean mining colony that had been abandoned, the ruins still fairly intact due mostly to the inhospitable atmosphere of the planet, hence the requirement for the specialty team. The team was needed to provide them with controlled atmospheric working and living space while planet side. They would have to deliver and set up the necessary temporary shelters because Quana's atmosphere was non-breathable and the surface temperature was extremely cold... as in -141 degrees Celsius cold. A suit rupture or shelter fault would result in an almost instantaneous flash-freeze, resulting in instant death. While the true temperature required for flash-freezing was -196, -141 was plenty close enough to merit extreme caution.

Liara queried the team leader as to when they thought they would be ready. She was surprised when she got the response. They had anticipated the delay and arrived ahead of schedule. They assured her the living facilities had already been set up and if she had not yet hit the gate, by the time the research team cleared through the checkpoint, a large portion of the facility would be ready for access. The team lead told her she could proceed whenever she was ready. Liara smiled at the welcome news as she directed the security team to head for the shuttle as scheduled. Her smile faltered just slightly as she wondered if her mother had made 'extra' arrangements with the specialty team to make sure they would be ready and waiting. Now that her mother had decided to not actively _oppose_ her choice of career, it would be just like her to work behind the scenes to ensure Liara's success. It was not what her mother may have done that caused the change in mood, but rather the newfound concern for her mother's safety. She ignored the chill that rippled across her skin and boarded the shuttle with her team.

For all the expense and time invested, Quana was somewhat of a letdown. The best part of the whole experience was to see how the specialty team functioned and to gain an appreciation for the level of effort required to operate in a hostile environment. The ruins themselves, though remarkably intact, held little of any value, having been thoroughly stripped by looters. Liara found the most interesting artifacts in the collapsed portions of the tunnels and rooms that had been blocked from easy access behind those same collapsed sections. Getting into such places, however, required more time than she had and she found her way into only four remote sections before her research permit expired and it was time to return to Thessia. Overall, it still turned out to be a worthwhile excavation, having yielded a couple of very unique artifacts for submission to the guildhall. Better yet, with the knowledge that the buried portions of the site had been completely untouched since their abandonment, there was no way evidence of an extinction event could have possibly been removed, lending even greater credibility to her hypothesis. Still, as exciting as it all was, Liara was eager to return to Thessia to begin work on her final two papers and the thesis presentations that would accompany them. Her first stop, however, would be Armali.

* * *

><p>Even with all the time delays, Liara was surprised how quickly the time passed on her trip home. She spent the hours organizing her notes and cataloging the artifacts they had packed in the hold. When she got to the Armali, Riana met her at the space port and took her directly to the residence. Liara's joy at being back faltered as they approached the landing area, quickly realizing too many slots were open. Her mother was not home. Aratiana met her at the door with a strained smile, knowing the questions would begin soon. Liara was not one to avoid bad news; she had always preferred to face it head on. Sadly, the steward was not disappointed.<p>

Liara dipped her head politely in greeting. "Matron Axeuss, I do not mean to be brusque, but what news do you have from my mother? She has kept me completely in the dark."

Liara saw the worry lines on Aratiana's face deepen as she spoke her reply. "None, Mistress."

Liara blinked in surprise. "What?" She had anticipated that the matriarch had at least contacted the household staff. "Nothing at all? When was her last missive?"

A tear trickled down Aratiana's cheek and her voice was thick with emotion. "We have received nothing since her departure, Mistress. It has been almost a year and a half." Aratiana's composure broke and she cried as she finished. "Goddess. She sounded so sad when she left, almost like she knew she was not going to return. But we have no way to determine her status!"

Liara drew a shaky breath and was trying to figure out what to say when Riana stepped up. "Aratiana. I assume, then, that there has been no word from the commandos either?"

The house steward said nothing, just shook her head to confirm Riana's suspicions.

Riana placed a gentle hand on Liara's shoulder. "Mistress. The likelihood that something happened to all fourteen and we've heard nothing is highly unlikely. Even less so than something happening to the matriarch and one of the others not reporting the incident back." Her focus shifted back to the house steward. "Have you sent out an emergency contact request?"

Again, Aratiana shook her head. "No. I have not, but Captain Tanni has. Twice." Aratiana looked at the floor. "She has said nothing about a reply."

Riana stared at the floor for a few moments, her eyes somewhat unfocused. When she looked back to Liara they were clear and determined. "Mistress. You've had a long journey and been gone from Thessia a long time. Get yourself settled and get something other than field rations in your system and let me work. I will report to you the moment I have anything at all."

Even though Riana had now been her First for over three years, they had been separated for most of that time and nothing had ever happened that had given Liara cause to rely on her commando's capabilities, so she was hesitant. Riana saw the doubt on Liara's face and her voice was reassuring as she spoke. "Please, Mistress. Being your First is what I have trained to do for over twenty years. I have trained as a commando for almost eighty. Let me do my job."

"Of course. I'm sorry." Liara blushed slightly. "I did not mean to cast doubt on your abilities. It's just that... Goddess! It's my mother and I have no idea what I'm supposed to feel or what I'm supposed to do!" Liara wrung her hands as she held back tears.

Riana reached over and stilled her worrying hands. "That is why I am here. I leave you in Aratiana's capable hands and I will go find Livos. We'll get to the bottom of this, I promise you. Call me if you need me."

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, Livos called a House meeting. "We have news and we think it's good. Riana suggested we track the financials." Her gaze shot to Aratiana, who had a look of surprise on her face. "Don't worry. She wasn't talking about the House accounts. Matriarch Benezia had some... <em>special<em>... accounts set off to the side for covert commando operations. They haven't been touched in years so I didn't think about them. Since Riana was recently trained by Shiala, they were fresh in her mind and asked me if I had checked them." Her focus shifted to Riana. "Much to my embarrassment, I had to admit that I had not."

Riana's forehead crinkled with consternation as she looked at Liara. "Mistress, your mother just recently moved a rather large sum to an investment broker on the Citadel, a Volus by the name of Barla Von. I could find no evidence of her ever having done business with him before, so I contacted him. He swore your mother appeared before him _in person_ to make the transfer, and that I was welcome to check the docking certificates for the arrival and departure times of her shuttle, which he gladly provided to me and which I then confirmed." Riana scowled as she continued. "But he drew the line there and would not tell me the intended use or destination for the funds."

At that, Liara blinked and pursed her lips, blowing out a long breath of relief. "So, she's alive and well at least. What's next?"

Livos frowned and answered. "I don't believe she _wants_ us tracking the funds. She moved the credits to a personal account solely in her name first, instead of directly to the broker. I think she did it purposely so we'd have no access to that information." Captain Tanni looked directly at the young Asari. "Liara. I won't deceive you. When your mother left, she warned us she was treading a dangerous path. Dangerous enough that she gave _every_ commando leave to not follow." Liara drew in a sharp breath as Livos continued. "I see you understand what that means, but rest assured. Every single one of her personal guard went with her; not one took the out. Wherever she is, she is protected... and she does not want anyone else following."

Liara stared at the floor for a moment before finally lifting her chin. Her eyes were red, but her voice was firm. "Then we shall not. But we will endeavor to do her proud while she is away. You all know how she likes the house run. Goddess. You've all worked for her long enough. Let us make sure there is nothing to disappoint her when she returns."

She looked at the steward. "Aratiana. If you would, please send notice to the other stewards so everyone knows the situation. If you feel it better, please make use of the shuttle and notify each of them in person." Liara paused for a moment. "Matter of fact, I _prefer_ you make the notifications in person and I think you should take a couple of the commandos with you, just in case. We have no idea what Mother is getting us involved in; she has always told us it is better to be prepared."

* * *

><p>Liara sat in her room and continued to organize her notes as she started to build the outlines for her presentations. She had been cataloging the notes all along for the required papers she would need to publish, but the thesis presentations to the board were a different matter. A soft knock on the door drew her attention and she stood, realizing she had been sitting a long time and needed the stretch. "Come."<p>

Riana slowly pushed the door open and entered the room, carefully balancing a tray with dinner and a cup of hot tea.

Liara smiled. "Riana, you didn't need to do that. I could have come down for dinner."

The commando laughed. "Mistress, dinner was two hours ago and the cook wanted to clean the kitchen but didn't dare until you ate. So, I fixed a tray with more than enough for you and gave her leave to finish up."

In disbelief, Liara looked at her chrono. "I had no idea it was so late!"

Riana just shook her head and set the tray on the desk. "Would you like some company while you eat?"

"I really am very busy..." Liara stopped herself and looked at Riana. "What am I saying? Yes, please. We haven't really had much chance to talk, have we?'

Riana smiled gently. "You're busy. I can respect that."

Liara frowned. "No. I mean yes, I am busy, but my mother always had the same excuse and it used to make me so angry." Liara sighed. "I sometimes wonder if that's why we so often butted heads. We are too much alike when it comes to the passion we hold for our work."

Liara stared out at a point in space, lost in memories. "I used to get so jealous of her job when it kept her too late for our walks in the park. I would sit in my room and stubbornly refuse to speak to her, yet I would then cry myself to sleep when she did not come to bid me goodnight."

Riana chuckled and Liara looked at her, puzzled at the reaction. "I don't see how me crying myself to sleep is amusing, but you always come up with the strangest explanations. I think I really want to hear this one."

"You have no idea, do you?" Riana smiled broadly when Liara shook her head. "You really need to sit down and speak with Shiala some time. She has some great stories from when you were younger." Liara was about to make a retort, but was distracted by a flash of pain that ran through Riana's eyes for just the briefest of moments before the commando continued. "It was after she started training me to be your First. She was trying to impress upon me just how headstrong you could be. She said those nights tortured your mother. She would stand outside your door until you grew quiet and, once she was sure you were asleep, she would enter to tuck you in and kiss you on the forehead. She told Shiala that she didn't dare enter before you were sleeping, because you would be embarrassed and just get more angry with her." Riana shook her head, laughing once again. "She could face down an angry mob of Krogan, but she couldn't take on the tears of her twelve-year-old daughter."

Liara reached across and laid her hand on Riana's. "Thank you for telling me, but why does that story bring you pain?"

Riana wondered what she had done that tipped Liara off and frowned. "It just makes me think of my family. I just can't picture my mother ever doing anything like that." Riana's voice picked up an angry tone. "Mine just threw us out and locked the doors. I never once saw her cry over Aresia."

Liara suddenly remembered the story Riana had told her so long ago about her parents and her sister. "Oh, Goddess. I'm such an idiot. I'm sorry, Riana! I should have remembered that."

Riana huffed. "No, it's fine. It's just that you sound so disappointed when you talk about butting heads with your mother because you are so similar." She paused for just a moment. "Your mother is one of the kindest people I've ever known. Being like her isn't such a bad thing, you know."

Liara smiled wistfully. "I know. It's just taken me a long time to realize that." Her smile disappeared in a flash as she finished sadly, "And just when I finally have it figured out, I have to wonder if I'll ever get the chance to tell her."

* * *

><p>After a few days, Liara returned to her apartment at the university and slid into a schedule of regular hours with weekly meetings with her thesis advisor. Her presentations came together easily and both of her papers were finished well in advance of the deadline. Her paper for the doctorate in history was simple enough; it was pure research with a report of findings. 'Vanishing Protheans: A Single Event Within the Galactic Archaeological Cycles of Extinction' easily passed peer review and was published as the single-most comprehensive work on the mysteries of the Prothean extinction to date. Her second paper, however, followed the path Benezia had predicted, and everyone balked at using a lack of evidence to support what they considered an outrageous theory. Liara protested and stated there was no lack of evidence; she had produced more than sufficient tangible evidence to <em>disprove<em> the existing so-called 'legitimate' theories on the Prothean extinction and after that, the purpose of the paper was simply to introduce a potential new theorem to give direction to future research. She challenged the board members. "When all the existing theorems have been disproven, is it not time to think outside the box and come up with a new one? Do any of you have even a shred of evidence that would cast doubt on my proposed cause of the Prothean extinction? Do you have even reasonable conjecture on a theorem I have not soundly refuted?" Met with a stony silence, Liara tipped her head in respect to the review board. "Then I rest my case and will await your decision. Thank you for the opportunity to address you."

Within hours, the board grudgingly congratulated her on her second doctoral degree. Though they disagreed with the proposed theorem, it was just that... a theory... and they found no fault in her process and had to agree her debunking of the existing theories was sound work. Once that happened, they granted the degree and submitted the approved peer review to the University for Liara T'Soni, Doctor of Archaeology, allowing her to publish her most controversial work, 'Theorem on Prothean Extinction Through Resolution of the Fermi Paradox via Exclusionary Evidence.'

What should have been an extremely joyous day was tempered by the obvious lack of her mother in the audience. Even though Liara knew it was impossible, she could not stop her eyes from wandering the crowd in search of her face. At the conclusion of the ceremony she returned alone to her campus apartment to pack her things. She picked up and reread a new offer she had just received from the Thessia Guildhall. They had been impressed by the feedback from the Hanar Illuminated Primacy and knowing she was in the process of final review, were offering her a conditional grant position as the lead researcher on the planet Therum in the Artemis Tau Cluster, contingent only upon her receiving her Doctorate of Archaeology. An Eldfell-Ashland Energy mining group had blown a new tunnel and revealed a new ruin for exploration, for which the Guildhall was taking the liberty of assembling her team, confident in the fact she would receive the approval of the board. After she forwarded proof of her doctoral certification and formally accepted the position, she was told her report date was two months hence.

This time when she packed, she did so as Doctor Liara T'Soni, Director of Archeological Research, Therum Field Expedition.


	10. Fall of the Matriarch

**2176 - Arcturus Station**

Benezia breathed a sigh of relief. She had spoken of patience; the Alliance could strike now and get the single band responsible, or they could exercise restraint and plan a counter attack that would very likely remove the pirate threat from the sector entirely. She was actually surprised when the normally impatient Humans opted to look at a long-term solution over an immediate stop-gap measure. It had still taken an additional week of negotiation, accompanied with an Asari offer of knowledge and expertise to come up with a plan solid enough to ease the Humans' hot-blooded cry for immediate vengeance. Captain T'Lasia explained how Thessia used a network of sensors to track smugglers and how collected data was then cross-referenced against known criminal activity to determine the locations of distribution bases. They could then strike and take down the entire operation instead of just interdicting a single delivery. She continued with how Theshaca's many moons could provide excellent camouflage for such sensors... it would be ironic that the very moons providing them hiding spots would lead to their downfall, making the pirate ships very easy to track back to base. With her assistance, they came up with a strategic plan for simultaneous tactical, surgical strikes on all the identified bases. If they were successful, the pirates would have no support structure remaining to organize any type of reprisal. They all agreed it would take time. It would take over a year to build and install the sensors, with each mission needing to be covert so the pirates wouldn't see them being installed, discover the plan, and destroy the network before it was ever put into operation. Captain T'Lasia promised them that if they were careful, by the end of 2178, the entire region would be safe from any threat of organized pirate activity.

During a number of side discussions, the Humans spoke of the young Lieutenant Shepard, piquing Benezia's interest when they decided to send her to their advanced warfare school in Sol, the Interplanetary Combatives Training Academy. If the Systems Alliance was going to invest so much time and effort into this officer, Benezia concluded she would most likely be a future leader within the Alliance military. Looking long term as she always did, Benezia thought perhaps this was an excellent opportunity to influence future Alliance leanings, by ensuring this Shepard was well versed in galactic politics and could understand the larger picture. Their race was young, and Benezia was not one to waste an opportunity. Unfortunately, Benezia's brief desire to learn more about this young officer was swallowed by Saren's sudden reappearance on the scene, spouting stronger than ever anti-Human rhetoric. Since the anti-pirate campaign plan had been established and put into motion, Benezia felt the turn of events necessitated her return to the Citadel to temper Saren's rhetoric, which seemed to be even worse than when he had left nine years before.

She took her preliminary findings of Saren's prejudice and her associated concerns to the Citadel Council, but had insufficient proof to bring any type of charges or requests for corrective action. The Asari councilor was obviously sympathetic, but the Salarian was dismissive with her lack of evidence and the Turian was downright hostile with her attempt at besmirching Turian honor. Frustrated, she found herself at the door of her long-time friend, Sha'ira. They spoke late into the night and Sha'ira's concern and a sense of dread grew steadily as the conversation continued.

"Be careful with this course of action, Benezia." Sha'ira's forehead was creased with disquiet. "I know you are strong, but to take on a Council Spectre directly is a dangerous path."

Benezia nodded. "Yes. I know. That's exactly why I must speak to him. I do not want to confront him. Instead, I intend to gain his trust. Offer him my services as a sounding board to help him see his path more clearly."

Sha'ira's face reflected shock. "You intend to try to become his advisor? Do you believe he will accept such an offer?"

"I do not know." Benezia shrugged. "All I can do is try. I can but hope to guide him to a gentler path. I need him to find peace with his demons and let go of his excessive hatred for Humans. The race was not responsible for his brother's death; it was the circumstances surrounding the entirety of the Relay 314 incident."

"Be careful with that, Nezzie." Sha'ira glowered. "He may still hold you responsible for the outcome of those negotiations and the decrease in Turian stature on the Council, however temporary that may have been."

"I promise you, I will. I am sure it is a sensitive subject and I realize I ruffled his feathers severely back then." Benezia actually got a light smile on her face. "But, I did not know then what I know now and can approach the confrontation from a completely different angle. Unwittingly, I entered our previous debate completely ignorant of some key information. That will not happen again."

"You know I will support whatever action you decide to take, but please, Nezzie..." Sha'ira hesitated. "I sense a terrible darkness coming, from a source I cannot ascertain. For all of us, tread carefully."

When she left the consort's office, Benezia went directly to Saren. His welcome was filled with suspicion, but she considered it good fortune that he didn't flat out refuse to see her. Saren stood and glared at her, skipping the pleasantries and getting straight to business. "What do you want, Matriarch?"

Benezia tipped her head and blew out a slow, measured breath before beginning. "I am here to apologize for the horrible way we set out, Spectre. Certainly we can find some way to repair our relationship and work toward the greater good of the galaxy?"

Saren's posture relaxed almost imperceptibly. "That depends. Are you through with your accusations against me?"

"As of right now, yes." Benezia met his hard gaze. "I hope you do not give me cause to renew them." Saren flinched, so Benezia plunged ahead before he could retort. "That is the whole purpose of my visit here. To find a common goal. I have just come from Arcturus Station, where my commando captain and I were barely able to keep the Humans from starting a full-scale war with the Batarians which would have likely drawn us all into the conflict."

Saren snorted. "So. You begin to see my point that the Humans are not ready to join the Council."

Benezia smiled gently. "No, they are ready. Perhaps only as ready as the Batarians and the Krogan, but you know what they say. Keep your friends close, your enemies closer. Our only hope is to bring them into the fold, so that we may guide them and help them become productive members of our galactic society."

Saren relaxed a bit more but was still on edge. "Perhaps. But in the mean time, we must keep them under control so as to prevent them from tearing the very fabric of our society to shreds."

"Control?" Benezia's face reflected doubt. "I see no means of doing that quite yet. I cannot condone treating them like the Krogan or the Rachni, doing our best to obliterate their entire society!"

"I agree." The smile on Saren's face sent chills down Benezia's spine. "I have been working on an... alternative."

Benezia's brow markings rose sharply. "An alternative? What kind of alternative?"

Saren chuckled. "A massive police force for the entire galaxy. Used at the Council's discretion of course, with a practically unlimited supply of replacements."

"Who could possibly provide such a thing?" Benezia's level of concern shot up dramatically. "Who that we could trust, anyway?"

"Ah. Too early yet to reveal so much." Saren gloated at the concern he saw on the matriarch's face. "I am still... in negotiations."

Benezia had to work to keep the surprise from her voice. "Already in negotiations? Did you already get Council approval?"

"My dear Benezia. I do not need Council approval. By definition, that is the whole point of being a Spectre. Complete discretion to preserve galactic stability by whatever means necessary." Saren's voice was condescending as he stared at Benezia, privately hoping she would challenge the exact words he had quoted from the charter. It would give him an excuse to _remove_ the annoyance. Her vocal protests at the Council and her very presence here, alone, had opened the door of opportunity. It would make it very easy to fabricate a story that she had come to threaten him and when he rose to defend himself, she had attacked him with biotics, forcing his hand.

His deluded wish was shattered when Benezia deftly recognized the trap. Saren would not find her so easily caught. "Agreed. I was merely wondering at the expense of such an army... or police force, as you desire to call it. I am fairly certain even a Council Spectre doesn't have access to the number of credits that would be required to fund such a venture."

Saren's mandibles flexed in guarded surprise. "And you would consider such a thing? You would help me fund such a police force?"

Benezia glanced away, dissembling. "Perhaps. But I would need to research the investment. We are talking about what I would think to be a considerable sum. I would need to meet the partners, hear the proposed agreement."

A plan began to form in Saren's mind. "Such an offer has possibilities, but I must say this is a surprising development. I would need to speak with my partners to see if they are even interested in including additional investors. They insist on only meeting face to face, so I'll need to travel to the Terminus and back before I can give you an answer." He waited in silence until Benezia looked at him again. "Would that be acceptable?"

"Of course. It is easy to believe that you are but one partner of a consortium. Take what time you need." Benezia nodded politely. "You know how to find me when you return."

As the matriarch turned and left, Saren grinned wickedly. He felt Sovereign would be very pleased indeed if he managed to bring such an influential member to the team.

* * *

><p>Benezia spent her spring on the Citadel, being sure to stay in contact with Sha'ira and the Asari counselor, with trips out to Arcturus and Sol as required to monitor the progression of what they had begun to unofficially refer to as Operation Nutcracker. With all her resources, Benezia had been unable to understand the cultural references behind the Human name for the plan. All she could find were mentions of a Human religious holiday and a tool used to remove the husks of edible nuts. Everyone she had asked merely pointed her to someone else to better answer her question, seemingly embarrassed by her inquiry. By midsummer, her attempts to decipher the puzzle were forgotten when Saren returned. His partners had agreed and it was time for a quick trip to the Terminus.<p>

The trip turned out to be anything but quick. Benezia, Captain T'Lasia, and her two teams of commandos made the journey to Saren's rendezvous coordinates out in the Phoenix Massing. From there, they all boarded Saren's frigate and headed off to the true meeting location. Once on board and underway, Benezia queried. "So, Saren, where exactly are we headed?"

Saren looked to his potential new recruit. "We are headed to the Veil."

Both Captain T'Lasia and Benezia were unable to hide their shock. Benezia exclaimed, "The Perseus Veil?" At Saren's amused nod of affirmation, she continued. "What could possibly be out there for us? What about the Geth?"

Saren grinned. "You will see soon enough, Matriarch. All your questions will be answered."

As they emerged from the relay, Benezia stared in wonder at the massive object before them. A monstrous black ship of a shape she had never seen before loomed in the darkness, blotting out the light of the stars with its vast size. "By the Goddess! What _is_ that?"

Saren chuckled. "That, my dear matriarch, is a ship that contains technologies you have never dreamed of. When I found it, I began to understand just how the Protheans vanished from our galaxy."

She watched in trepidation as five giant arms opened to reveal a docking bay and a knot formed in her gut when she realized it was Saren's destination. "We're going into that thing? Have you actually found the Protheans?"

Saren stared out the viewport as he guided the ship in, revealing nothing by his demeanor. "Patience, Matriarch. Isn't that what you so often preach? All your questions will be answered soon enough. It's time to meet our new allies."

* * *

><p>Sovereign had initially doubted Saren, but the gift he brought was incredibly pleasing. The lesser beings cowed quickly, all at different rates, but relatively quickly none the less. Three were more worthy and Sovereign could understand how they had risen to the top of their petty command structure, each of them being team leaders. But while the beings known as Shiala, Razia and Relyna proved entertaining, the only truly interesting one was Benezia. She was everything Saren had promised she would be. As he forced the others to his will, he saved the one named Benezia for last. He would take a more subtle approach with her, as he had with Sovereign. For a time, they would prove useful, so needed to maintain some of their own independence. The others were simply made to believe. They would return when he called.<p>

Benezia woke with a pounding headache and found herself unable to remember what exactly had happened. As she stirred, Captain T'Lasia moved quickly to her side. "Matriarch! How do you feel?"

Benezia sat up slowly and glanced around. All the commandos were watching with concerned expressions, but none seemed to be at any heightened state of readiness. "I... I don't know for sure, Rel." She looked to her captain. "I fear I do not remember how I came to be here. Where is Saren?"

"He is conferring with the Geth Prime, Matriarch." Captain T'Lasia watched the expressions that ran across the matriarch's face with concern.

"Goddess! The Geth!" With abject horror, disconnected memories started to fill in the gaps. Benezia felt odd, as if the memories were not her own, but knew that was not possible. Saren had walked them into a conference room with no warning, only to discover they were suddenly surrounded by Geth units. Benezia had immediately sensed a trap, but as she called on her biotics she felt a surge of power rip through her body, casting her into darkness. She looked at Rel in panic, but saw nothing but calm, throwing her mind into total confusion. "How can you be so calm? Are we not prisoners?"

Rel surprised her by chuckling. "No, Mistress. We are not prisoners. You surprised everyone with your reaction, including Saren. He believed you would be much more calm so did not anticipate the need to tell us about the biotic suppression system in the conference room. Apparently, your reputation precedes you and the Geth had the system set a few notches higher than necessary. So... "

Benezia shook her head. "So it gave me a rather high voltage shock when I went to pull up my barrier, having no ability to distinguish between an offensive or defensive reaction."

Rel's laughter died immediately. "I'm afraid so. The situation grew very tense for a few moments while I scanned you. Once I announced you would recover just fine, things settled down, but Saren was still very angry at them. I assume that is the discussion he is having with them now."

"I am very concerned by this turn of events, Rel. Goddess forbid that the Geth could actually be planning a return, and worse yet that Saren believes he has found the leverage with which to control them." Benezia closed her eyes and shook her head, more to test her own balance more than anything. Satisfied, she reopened her eyes and looked once more to her captain. "I believe I am ready to stand and get on with this. We must talk Saren out of this course of action."

Rel stepped back and offered the Matriarch a hand to help her rise. Benezia stretched gingerly as she stood. "Goddess. Everything in my body hurts. I must admit I am very interested in the technology these Geth use for such a defensive system, though it is something I could have done without the personal experience in."

Benezia shook her head again, still feeling very much out of sorts, and glanced around. The structure of the ship was unlike anything she had ever seen and the atmosphere was oppressive, as if she were carrying a huge weight on her conscience. "Come. Let us find Saren and get off this ship. I do not know why, but it makes me uncomfortable."

As soon as the door opened, Saren came immediately to her side. "Matriarch! It is good to see you up so quickly!" He turned a glare to the Geth. "Our 'hosts' took rather rash action, for which I have severely chastised them for."

Lights on the Prime unit flashed briefly. "We apologize for your discomfort, Matriarch. The collective perceived a threat and activated the defenses prematurely. Our algorithm has been adjusted to prevent a recurrence of the event."

"Yes. Well. Apology accepted, though I must certainly take some of the blame. I reacted... poorly... amidst my surprise." Benezia wondered why she was apologizing to a machine. _Does it even care?_ "Anyway. Saren. I believe we have things to discuss?"

"Ah. Yes. Well, not much to discuss, really. The Geth are well aware of your financial standing as an investor and are simply here to answer any questions you may have about their motivations or capabilities. If and when you are satisfied, we will depart. After you contemplate their answers, whether or not you want to play a part is entirely your decision." Saren simply looked at her, putting the ball in her court as to how she wanted to proceed.

After a couple of hours of solid questions, Benezia grew weary, both in body and in mind, feeling no closer to resolution than when she had started, but unable to think of anything else to ask. The Geth seemed straightforward, but how could she possibly assess their ability to deceive or the honesty of their intentions. She sensed their devotion to Saren's cause, so the real questions would be for Saren, once they escaped this foreboding place. She turned to Saren. "I wish to return home now. I grow weary of these strange surroundings."

"As I promised, Matriarch, you are free to leave at any time." Saren signaled to a Geth. "This unit will guide you directly back to the frigate. I'll collect my things and follow behind you. I'll see you shortly."

As the doors closed behind Benezia and her commandos, Saren smiled and walked to a small back room. As the door closed behind him, Sovereign spoke directly to his mind.

"You have done well, Saren. She is more than I had hoped, based on your previous offerings. I have planted the seeds of knowledge in her mind and they will grow in time. For the short term she will oppose you, but will eventually ask to join you in an attempt to change your path. She will see it as a necessity. When that happens, bring her to me. Her fruit will be ready for my harvest and I will prepare her to assist you. Do not fail me in this. She harbors knowledge and abilities that will make it possible for you to succeed in your mission."

Saren grimaced. "I am sure I could succeed without her, but she is a nuisance. It will be easier with her under my control."

Saren suddenly crumpled in pain as Sovereign's voice tore through his skull. "DO NOT ASSUME YOU UNDERSTAND MY PURPOSE. Your feeble mind is incapable of the heights hers can achieve. I need her mind to penetrate that of the Rachni and you possess no such capabilities."

Saren groveled on his knees, "Forgive me, Sovereign! I meant no offense! I allowed my pride to cloud my judgment... I swear to you, it will not happen again!" As he crawled across the floor, he wondered if the years of solitude had driven the Reaper insane. _Did it not know the Rachni were now extinct?_

"Then go. Deliver her back to her ship and return to gather the Geth. It is time to prove your worth."

* * *

><p>When Benezia returned to the Phoenix Massing and entire team was back on their own ship, she began to relax, but only until she realized the date. <em>How did I lose so much time?<em> Unbidden memories suddenly sprang to mind, of a fault developing in their eezo core modulator and having to shut down and wait for repairs... of getting caught in an Alliance checkpoint at Caleston Rift and it taking two weeks to answer questions and get the appropriate documentation to clear all the commandos. She had not realized so much time had passed and directed them to proceed directly to Arcturus Station. She had been absent for too long and her return to Thessia would have to wait. When she got to Arcturus, she had planned on asking about the Caleston checkpoint to find if there had been yet another pirate attack during her absence to prompt such an action, but as she prepared to ask, another random memory popped up to distract her and by the time she was able to refocus, the question no longer seemed important. They had returned just in time; final preparations were underway for the stupidly named operation. Benezia paused as that thought flitted across her consciousness. _Stupid? Just because I don't understand the cultural reference does not mean it's stupid._ Again, Benezia shook her head in bewilderment at her unusually random thoughts and refocused on the task at hand.

She had several unread messages from Liara that she stored for later reading, and she briefly wondered why they had not been delivered to her omnitool while they traveled. They called to mind Liara's research schedule and her mind kicked over, the old Benezia resurfacing with the thought of the future reunion with her daughter. "Goddess! Where is my mind?" Benezia immediately drafted a flash message to her, along with a copy to her thesis advisor, about staying away from the Attican Beta relay. Benezia's false memories of a similar blockade at the Caleston Rift added to the urgency; she remembered getting through was difficult enough for an Asari matriarch... a student researcher and a band of school security wouldn't stand a chance and they would be detained for days, if not weeks. Something in the back of her mind told her to add more than just the warning about the blockade. A chill ran down Benezia's spine as she was suddenly consumed by the fear she was forgetting something very important. Remembering Sha'ira's mention of a coming darkness, Benezia's heart grew heavy with a sense of foreboding as she included definitive words to describe the feelings she had not expressed to her daughter for far too long. _I love you, Liara_.

Time passed and the Theshaca raids finally commenced in the summer of '78. As they wrapped up operations, Saren sent a blistering missive to her, condemning her inability to stabilize the Human aggression as he vowed to accomplish what she could not. As Benezia read the message, she knew she was out of time. She called the commandos together and explained her intent to dissuade Saren from his attempt to utilize the Geth as a police force, feeling it would put too much power into the hands of a single Spectre. She told them how much she feared the mission; how she anticipated the path forward to be incredibly dangerous and gave them all leave to not go with her. "I will not hold it against any who do not wish to go. This mission is nothing of what you signed up for and you will always have a home in my house, no matter your decision on this issue."

The matriarch was humbled when every one of them stepped forward to be counted among the travel team. So it was that Benezia and the full complement of her personal guard took two shuttles to the Citadel to rendezvous yet again with Saren. She spoke with the house steward one last time before boarding her transport. "I fear for this mission, Aratiana. If things go badly, I have put things in motion. Speak with Councilor Tevos and with Sha'ira as soon as possible and they will provide you guidance. There is also a small box in my private safe in the office. It is to be given to Liara in the event of my death."

Aratiana drew a quick intake of breath, "Lady Benezia! Please don't speak of such things!"

Benezia shook her head sadly. "I must, Aratiana. There is a darkness coming and we must all be prepared to weather the storm."

With that, Benezia boarded the shuttle and took her seat. As they made their way to the Serpent Nebula and the Citadel, Benezia drafted a note, praying to the Goddess they would not be the last words she ever said to her daughter.

_Liara,_

_I will be out of touch for a while. You will recall my lament about a certain disruptive Turian Spectre. He has returned and hinted to me of a dangerous plot he is developing out near the fringes of the Veil. I must go to him and at least attempt to steer him to a gentler path. I will miss you, my daughter, but look forward to my return and our reunion. I cannot wait to watch you cross the stage and earn your well deserved doctorates. Stay safe and, Goddess willing, I will see you again on Thessia._

_Mother_

* * *

><p>Once on the Citadel, Benezia planned to meet with both of her confidants, Tevos and Sha'ira, but Saren had other plans. He rushed her onto his transport, insisting they needed to get underway immediately. "There is no time to waste! The Human vermin are already planning a follow-up attack for the fall. I intend to put a stop to their vigilantism once and for all!"<p>

Benezia was shocked by his blatantly aggressive attitude. "Saren. They are not vigilantes. This action has been approved by the Council! I was the arbiter for the planning sessions in my role as envoy!"

Saren spun on her with anger in his eyes. "You _approved_ this?"

Benezia did not back down from his glare. "Not only approved it. I and Relyna helped plan it. When the pirates struck Elysium in such force, they did not attack just Humans. There were Asari in that colony... as well as Turians! We could not stand idle and let it happen again."

Captain T'Lasia stood and stepped up behind Benezia, a faint blue glow beginning to tumble off her fingertips, and Saren backed off, not quite willing to test the strength of Sovereign's hold on the commandos after so much time had passed since their last visit to the Reaper. Soon enough they would be on the ship again and his control would be established for good. He was willing to wait, knowing his voice would be the last thing they ever heard.

He bided his time and soon enough, they were back at Sovereign. As he ushered them all on board, Benezia felt the heavy presence of the surroundings press in on her once more. She glanced around and realized there were no Geth. She asked Saren about their absence and he smiled. "They are out on assignment." He gloated over the flash of concern that passed through her eyes. "Don't worry, Matriarch. They are just collecting data for now. We haven't yet started offensive operations. It isn't time yet."

"Goddess. Are they operating outside the Veil?" Benezia was concerned about them coming into inadvertent contact with explorers. Or worse. "Just what are they collecting?"

"We are looking for a ship. A very special ship." Saren looked at her again. He wanted to make sure he saw her expression. "A Rachni ship." He scowled when she didn't exhibit the surprise he expected, so he growled on. "A hive ship. With eggs. If we can get just one to hatch, we will have met our goal!" Now he was excited, seeing Benezia riled by the last part of his revelation.

"Hatch a Rachni? Are you insane?" Benezia was wide-eyed. "Do you not remember the last time we opened a relay and released their scourge upon our galaxy?" She was amazed as Saren stood there and laughed. _Laughed_!

"ENOUGH."

Benezia stood up straight and narrowed her eyes as she scanned the room. "Where did that come from, Saren? Who is that?"

Saren's laughter had stopped and his head was cocked as though listening to a voice Benezia could not hear. He nodded and turned to Benezia. "Sovereign says it is time for you to learn the truth of the matter. The whole truth."

"What are you talking about, Spectre?" Benezia glanced over her shoulder at her commandos, who seemed to be standing calmly, as if nothing untoward was happening. "Who is Sovereign?"

Saren smirked at her, while his mandibles flared menacingly. "You will know soon enough."

"Saren?" The knot Benezia had felt growing in her stomach for months suddenly felt as if it wanted to reach up and crush her lungs. She took a step back, seeking comfort by knowing she had her commandos at her back. "Just what are you talking about?"

Saren started to laugh, but Benezia couldn't hear him anymore. A voice drove itself into her mind, even as she threw up her mental barriers. The collision was painful and as she struggled to maintain her sense of self, she realized she had made a very grave misjudgment. Words were replaced with images of dying civilizations. Countless cycles of extinction. Death.

"NO." A new interpretation forced itself into her mind. Countless cycles of salvation through destruction. The entirety of the existing galactic civilization. Every species harvested for their own protection. Their essence preserved for eternity.

Benezia shook her head. "No. These are not my thoughts! Get out of my mind!"

With a final push, Benezia expelled Sovereign and closed her barrier completely. She stumbled and fell to the deck as Captain T'Lasia came to her side. Her vision was blurry, but she recognized the touch. "Goddess! Rel, we need to get out of here. Now!"

She struggled to stand but felt a weight pressing down on her shoulder. She looked up to see pity in the eyes of her captain. "Rel? What are you doing?"

"Is it not clear to you, Matriarch? We must join with Saren. It is the only way any of us will survive." Relyna's hand stayed firmly on Benezia's shoulder, holding her in place.

Saren walked up. "Release her. Let her stand."

Captain T'Lasia's hand immediately fell away and Benezia rose to stare at the commando captain who had betrayed her, thinking they had just heard the same message as she. She did not realize the commandos had been indoctrinated on their first visit. "Relyna. You are among the last I would ever expect this from." She turned slowly to look at the rest of her commandos. Of the remaining twelve, only Shiala had a pained look on her face. She was about to speak then thought better of it. If Shiala had somehow managed to withstand the psychic invasion, it would not serve her well to reveal it at this juncture. With a scowl, Benezia turned back to Saren. "What do you want of me?"

"Everything." Saren scowled. "Cooperation. Obedience. Loyalty. You will aid me as your acolytes assist you. You will give me your oath of servitude."

"Never. Your purpose is hateful and destructive." Benezia blinked away the distraction of her pounding headache. "I will die first."

"Oh, no. You won't be the first." At Benezia's confused look, Saren turned to Relyna. "Who is the weakest among you?"

"Our transport pilot." Rel looked to the group. "Belvos. Front and center."

Agzia Belvos walked slowly forward, fear on her face, but seemingly unable to stop her own feet from carrying her forward.

Saren glared at her. "Kneel before me."

Agzia was unable to stop herself from kneeling at Saren's feet. "Have you ever serviced a Turian before?"

Confusion reigned on Belvos' face. "What? I... No!" As Agzia rejected Saren's command, the rest of the commandos shifted nervously at the display, but none but Benezia dared speak.

"Saren! Do not be crude! What exactly is this supposed to prove?" Benezia looked at the Spectre in disgust.

Saren roared, "Obedience!" His hand flashed down and he grabbed the kneeling Asari by her crest and yanked her painfully to her feet. "You apparently need to be retrained on the art of obedience." He looked at Benezia. "Better yet, you can serve as the first example of what happens when you don't obey."

Before Benezia could say a word, Saren twisted his wrist, bending Agzia's head back with the painful force exerted on her sensitive crest. With his other hand, he jammed rigid fingers into her windpipe. Agzia dropped to the floor gagging and grasping at her throat. Benezia lunged forward to help her, only to be grabbed by T'Lasia and Razia T'Semi, the team lead opposite Shiala. The matriarch struggled in their grasp and screamed at them. "What are you doing? She can't breathe! We must help her!"

T'Lasia shook her head. "No. It is not Saren's will."

Benezia's jaw fell open. "By the Goddess! What has he done to you that you will not help your own sister?"

In answer, Sovereign's voice drove itself again into her unshielded mind. In the horror of what was happening before her, she had dropped her barriers. "Saren has done nothing. They obey my will and I have told them to obey Saren. You will do the same. There is no choice."

The heels of Benezia's hands pressed at her temples as she cried out in pain. She grunted in defiance. "There is always a choice."

"You would see them all suffer? They have pledged to die for you and your resistance will bring them to that end sooner than you ever intended." The voice was disdainful. "Suffocation is a slow, frightening way to die. I can sense her fear. For you, I will show her mercy."

Benezia yelled in panicked protest. "Goddess, no! Let me help her! Please!"

Sovereign paid her no heed as he twisted Belvos' mind. Her mouth suddenly flew open wide and her body convulsed in phantom pain as Sovereign activated every pain receptor in her brain at the same time. No air could move over her crushed vocal cords so her screams were silent as the extreme pain caused her heart to spasm one final time before it stopped beating completely. The commando's body suddenly stilled, the only thing moving was the blood that seeped slowly from her nose and ears. Benezia found herself suddenly free and she collapsed by the dead commando's side, weeping. "By the Goddess, Zia! I am so sorry! I knew this would be dangerous, but I never dreamed of such an ending..."

She closed Zia's eyes and, as she sat sobbing, overheard Saren ask, "Who is next weakest among you?"

Benezia's tears continued to flow as she stood and glared at T'Lasia as she answered. "She was our pilot; a job any of us are able to perform. The rest have particular specialties and it would be wasteful to kill them for a mere example. You said you have need of us. I need to keep my squads intact if we are to be effective. Have patience. Benezia will break in time."

Benezia's glare shifted to Saren, who actually contemplated the words and seemed calmed by them. "You're right. We've just now recovered the ship. It will be months before the eggs are ready to hatch and then at least a year before they mature to a useable age. There is plenty of time."

Benezia's relief at knowing another commando would not need to die for her right away was overshadowed by Saren's announcement. "Recovered the ship. Are you talking about the Rachni? You mean that wasn't an idle threat? You actually plan to bring the Rachni back?"

Saren turned to her. "Oh, yes. They hold a secret we need."

Benezia closed her eyes against the terror of the Rachni. "And what use do you have for me in such an endeavor?"

Saren actually laughed. "We need your mind. We will need you to speak with them. We need the location of a relay that only they will know."

"Any of the commandos can serve that purpose. It does not answer my question." Benezia grimaced as she strained to maintain her barrier against a new assault. It felt as though someone was grinding course, sharp sand into every sensitive nook and cranny across her crests. As the intensity increased, she again stumbled to her knees, her hands gripping her head trying to stop the pain.

"You will learn that impertinence buys you nothing but pain, Matriarch." Saren laughed at her discomfort. "The commandos have their roll. They will protect you. You are the negotiator. You will be the one asking the questions and striking the deal."

"Yet they will be imprisoned. They have no reason to aid you. What if they will not give it to me?" Benezia looked up at Saren to show the earnestness of the question.

He enjoyed that her position gave her the appearance of begging, the matriarch speaking to him from her knees. "Then you will rip it from their minds."

Benezia gasped. "I will do no such thing!"

Sovereign took on the challenge in earnest and once again Benezia was driven to despair as the pain increased yet again. Her barriers faltered and images assaulted her unwilling consciousness. The process of the mental bombardment continued off and on, Benezia completely unaware of being moved and quickly losing track of the days as she resisted with all that she was. The torment stopped long enough for her to eat and sleep, but even as she slept she was plagued by what she considered nightmares. She tried to stay awake to avoid them but eventually collapsed in exhaustion and the dreams again inundated her mind. Sovereign just referred to them as his truth. Her food was laced with biotic suppressants, so when she quit eating, they force fed her. When she closed her throat and choked, they sedated her and tube fed her. Sovereign continuously spoke his history and their inevitable future directly to her mind; she did not need to be awake for the process.

Against her every desire, they kept her alive and continuously eroded her resistance, one little piece at a time. Sovereign was impressed. Saren had lasted two months. When the Asari first arrived, the strongest of the commandos had lasted seventeen days before finally giving in to its will. During the same time, Benezia had been sedated and Sovereign had begun the subtle approach by altering memories and implanting suggestions. That had worked on Saren, but Benezia had resisted even then. Sovereign knew that sooner or later, she would accept the truth. It was inevitable. If the matriarch managed to find a way to end her own life, the second choice would have to suffice; she went by Shiala. But now it had become a challenge to Sovereign. Never in all the cycles had anyone ever withstood more than four months of constant bombardment. This one would prove a valuable ally.

Benezia didn't actually give up, but she did eventually come to realize her resistance was futile. She knew she would either succumb or die, so she planned. In a last ditch effort, she started to build a safe place in her mind. It was not large. It was rather insignificant in size, really, but Benezia needed it that way. To escape Sovereign's notice so he did not destroy it. Every day she'd place another small piece on the barrier, and every day she'd battle the stabbing daggers of Sovereign's will that plunged repeatedly into her mind until she passed out from exhaustion and pain. Every night the dreams came and she recognized the bitter truth that eventually those dreams would become her reality, no matter that her true self did not believe in their inevitability. She had to finish her project before that day came. Fortune smiled on her one last time when the day came; the little room was secure and Benezia's heart and soul retreated safely inside. She knew she had just purposely saved a dissociative identity that would remain separate and apart from the world, and her only hope was that someday, someone would awaken it and be able to pull her from her imprisonment and release her from her despair. She prayed that day came soon.

Her final thoughts that were truly her own were of Liara, and for the first time since she could remember, Benezia actually wondered about the date. She had no way to measure the passage of time but sensed deep in her soul it had been far too long. She hoped her Little Wing had not been destroyed by her disappearance and that she was now Doctor Liara T'Soni, out in the world and living her dream. With a final sigh reflective of great disappointment in herself, she realized that once again she had failed to attend an important landmark in Liara's life, but knew in her heart that she had fought as long as her will allowed. With a short prayer asking only for a day sometime in the future when Liara would be able to forgive her absence, Benezia closed the door to the little safe room in her mind and allowed her outer self to finally succumb to the pain.


	11. The Shadow First

Notes:

EAE - Eldfell-Ashland Energy

* * *

><p><strong>The Shadow First<strong>

**Summer, 2176 - T'Soni House Armali, Thessia**

The sun still hadn't come up when she collapsed back to the mattress. Breathing heavily, Riana glanced over and looked at the sad expression on her lover's face. "Goddess, Ri. That was excellent. Why so glum?"

Ryati's face got a soft glow and she smiled lightly. "Sorry, Ri. You're right... it _was_ excellent. It's just that it seems like all we've been doing the last five years is sneaking in a 'welcome home' or rushing through a 'goodbye' in between all these stupid trips to the Verge. This is the first time we've had more than three days at a time since I can remember, and I'm starting to wonder if the Humans and the Batarians will ever get their shit together enough that the matriarch will be able to help them find their way to peace. This piecemeal crap is ridiculous."

Riana rolled up on her side and she kissed Ryati's cheek softly as her hand started to wander again. "Of course she will. It's Benezia we're talking about. She's never failed yet, and I imagine the Batarians aren't the hardest challenge she's ever faced. Now shut up and quit worrying about it. Enjoy what time we do have."

Ryati's eyes darkened with the caresses Riana was lavishing upon her body and she closed her eyes as she moaned in appreciation of her lover's enticing touch. "Riana..."

The Vanguard leaned in and pressed her lips to Ryati's to silence her, quickly sliding her fingertips tantalizingly up Ryati's leg and ending the tease. Ryati's eyes went black and her mind leapt out, looking for the meld as her back arched in pleasure, a groan of delight escaping amidst the kiss.

* * *

><p>Eventually, they arose up and started their day, hoping uselessly that the rest of the week would go as planned, but by mid afternoon the matriarch had thrown a highly uncharacteristic fit of rage that the whole house knew about within ten minutes. After a quick apology and one last kiss goodbye, Ryati was out the door again, this time headed to the Citadel and then Arcturus. The Batarians had hit a multi-racial colony with a population of over a million Asari. While the matriarch and her entourage were off to stop a galactic confrontation, Riana had suddenly found herself in ceremonial leathers and off to Serrice.<p>

Liara had been surprised, both to find out she had been assigned a First and to discover that the commando assigned had been the very one who had soothed her frazzled psyche twenty-one years prior. Remembering the kind words Riana had spoken way back then helped ease things at the start, but the first few months had still been a bit rocky. Liara was a dedicated scholar and didn't take kindly to Riana seeming to always be in the way or interrupting her train of thought. Eventually, Riana got Liara's habits and schedule down and was able to anticipate a bit better, managing to keep out from under foot, but still be handy when Liara needed assistance with something.

Over the next few months, Riana received a handful of messages from Ryati, mostly about how bored they all were, with the matriarch in meetings all day. Since the commandos had two full teams, they were able to take some time off and head down to the Silversun Strip and the Armax Arena. It helped keep them all in fighting shape, but she still complained about their lack of employment. In the last message Riana received, Ryati said they were going to accompany Benezia out to the Phoenix Massing for some secret meeting. The matriarch was scheduled to rendezvous with a Council Spectre in an attempt to guide him down a better path, but they were all being kept in the dark as to the details. She was excited to finally be going somewhere and at least getting a change in routine.

* * *

><p><strong>Fall, 2177 - University of Serrice, Thessia<strong>

Riana stood to the side with her arms crossed in defiance, disbelieving that the University of Serrice would actually disapprove her request to travel as a First to Liara. She could have understood had it been a Guildhall trip to someplace like Kahje with extremely limited access, but Liara's research trip was organized and funded by the university! She had managed to shadow Liara on her first series of doctoral trips without anyone noticing her, and though the revisits to the swamps and humidity of Sur'Kesh and the deserts of Invictus didn't exactly excite her, they had proven challenging and highlighted some gear adjustments Riana needed to make. It had also given her a chance to test a variety of tracking and communications devices in the field, to determine just which ones were the most reliable in what environments. Liara's trip to Sol even gave Riana an excellent opportunity to park herself on Luna and test a long-range locator beacon she had slipped into the aspiring young doctor's gear. She had laughed quietly but said nothing when the commandos couldn't find Liara once her travel schedule became her own. Of course Riana had an advantage she was not prepared to reveal, with the tracking device stashed in the lining of Liara's bag. As long as the power source kept working and Liara stayed within range of a comm buoy, Riana would always know where she was.

Finally, the wayward Asari's travels were over and for the first time since the Matriarch had called Riana in, the commando was excited by the prospect of actually being able to do her job instead of just being a shadow. So, when Liara told her once again she wouldn't be traveling with her, Riana practically growled in her frustration, "Mistress, I still don't understand why the board refused the request that I accompany you, even after the House verified they would completely pay my way, at no cost to the university!"

After a relatively short conversation, Liara had been exasperated enough to glare at her and order her to quit arguing the point. She had apparently already gone through the same arguments with her mother and the university staff. Riana knew when to shut up and quickly resigned herself to shadow-status once again, but this time, she was prepared. She presented Liara with a more practical carry-case and some spare heat sinks that she had purchased for the Stiletto, along with a modified locator beacon similar to the one she had tested on Sol that was now a permanent fixture in the budding doctor's luggage. Liara had been surprised and, Riana felt, a bit hesitant to take such a device. Riana was sure it was because of the implications that came along with it... The idea of being in a situation where she would need to use a distress beacon made Liara uncomfortable. Liara did accept it though, and Riana breathed a small sigh of relief. But, at the same time, she vowed that Liara never would have to turn it on; if Riana did her job right, the threats would be terminated before Liara ever found out about them.

Riana's new equipment was immediately put to the test with the announcement that Liara's first stop was Kahje, so once again the commando was limited in her ability to follow. She ended up hovering in space beside the relay with occasional jumps to nearby systems to restock and refuel. It was a long six months, and she was never so happy as to be able to head back to Sol. Of course, since Liara wasn't staying long, Riana did the same thing she had done when she tested the locator beacon; she parked herself on Luna and watched from afar.

* * *

><p><strong>2178 - Eden Prime, Exodus Cluster<strong>

Eden Prime was a lot more fun. There were a number of small agricultural settlements scattered about the planet, with lots of space in between for an adventuresome Asari commando to have some fun and hone her hunting skills without having to run into any humans and have to explain her presence. Once her shuttle was dirt-side, settled into the trees and powered down, it was virtually undetectable unless someone actually stumbled into it, which was highly unlikely. They were more likely to detect her communications traffic, but that was mashed in with everything else going across the comm buoys. The first six months passed quickly, and just as she was starting to think about the jump to Feros, a flash missive arrived from Matriarch Benezia. Riana immediately hunkered down to read it, her heart in her throat, only to breathe a sigh of relief when she realized all was well. She continued on with her return to the transport and awaited news from Liara as to her next destination.

Since she had already packed up her base camp in anticipation of a new destination, when she got news that Liara was extending on Eden Prime, Riana took the opportunity to relocate and check out a different part of the planet. She quickly located a new spot deep in the woods that was well outside the hiking range of her original camp. She had only been there a couple of weeks when something pinged her radar and she packed her travel gear, secured the transport and set out on a trip of discovery. As she crept into the outskirts of a settlement, she heard shouting and gunfire. Activating her cloak, she entered into the small village and peeked around the corner of a building into the town square. She was immediately torn by what she saw. A small group of Batarian slavers had hit the village and a number of the villagers were already tagged and bagged, the remainder holding out with small weapons that were obviously hunting rifles. The only reason they had held out as long as they had was because the Batarians were slavers and not pirates; they wanted them alive.

She looked quickly to the comm tower and realized the first thing the slavers had done was sever the communications to avoid a distress call being sent out. She didn't dare compromise her mission, yet she couldn't stand the idea of sitting and watching the entire town get taken, especially the children. The thought of what the Batarians would do to kids was the final straw. A cloaked Riana slipped around to the back side of the Batarian ship and slipped inside, quickly killing the pilot and then heading to the engine room to permanently disable the craft. At least that way, they wouldn't get the colonists off the planet. There were two more slavers doing some core maintenance, but they were completely unaware of her presence and the first one was dead before they knew she was even there. A quick biotic charge closed her quickly to the second Batarian, but not before a shot rang off her shields. She cussed, knowing a shot would bring at least two, if not more, to investigate the cause. She immediately positioned herself at the door, flat against the wall, and hoped they didn't see her as they came in.

Knowing he had someone watching his back, the first one walked in without hesitation and went directly to his downed comrade. Unfortunately for Riana, the second stopped just outside the door, so she was going to have to reveal herself. She pulled both her combat blades out and quickly buried one in the back of the head of the slaver who had entered the engine room. As soon as it left her hand, she spun low into the entry way and immediately threw her second knife an instant before she pulled on her charge and smashed into the second Batarian, knocking him temporarily senseless. It was long enough to retrieve her knife from his thigh and slit his throat before he got off a single shot. She hurried back and retrieved her first knife and buried it in the core control panel before exiting the ship. She would have preferred to do something a bit more permanent to disable the ship, but couldn't risk someone else coming to investigate when the other two didn't return. The ship probably only had a crew of maybe fifteen, and she had already killed five. Glancing quickly out into the street, she saw three others lying in the street and didn't know if they were dead or wounded, but at least they were out of action, meaning she had seven slavers remaining, at most.

She quickly slipped around to the back side of the colonists' barricade and slipped into a two-story house, quickly moving up the stairs and out onto a balcony. Using the railing as a stepladder, she pulled herself up silently onto the roof and laid flat, inching herself slowly forward until she was nestled along the side of a stone chimney. She was close enough to the edge to utilize her compact sniper rifle and she slipped it off her back and took a good look at the positions of the Batarians. She quickly saw that instead of three Batarians lying in the street, the count was actually four, leaving six remaining. She could only see five, which meant, worst case, she had one hostile unaccounted for. She slowly sited her first target and waited for the next round of colonial gunfire before picking off the rear-most Batarian. She repeated her tactic twice more as the colonists managed to take down an additional slaver. The last slaver on the ground grabbed one of the captured colonists and used her as a shield as he stood, suddenly realizing he was all alone. It worried Riana greatly that he was laughing as he stood.

"Humans. You put up a good fight, but it just means I have fewer to share the profits with." The Batarian sneered. "Look behind you, Humans."

Riana didn't move her sights off the center of his forehead as she heard what sounded like a gas grenade. Riana cussed again, knowing one thing she certainly hadn't carried on this little expedition was a breathing mask and thanked the Goddess she was up high as she pulled the trigger. Now it was just her and whoever had snuck around to the back of the colonists' defensive position, and she hoped that, with the gas cloud, whoever it was either didn't see his friend go down or couldn't tell it wasn't one of the colonists shooting. She quietly retreated off the roof, circled around upwind of the gas discharge and waited for the air to clear. The last man was oblivious to her presence, efficiently cuffing and chaining all the colonists together while only occasionally glancing around nervously. Taking no chances, she sighted down her sniper rifle one last time and punched a clean hole through his greedy skull.

She cloaked and approached, realizing he had dropped the keys just out of reach of the colonists. She unlocked one hand of the colonist closest to the Batarian and dropped the keys within their reach. She quietly retreated back to the tree cover on the edge of the village where she had made her initial observations and guarded them until they began to stir. Once a few of them were up and busy unlocking and releasing the rest, Riana beat a hasty retreat, leaving them to wonder about their mysterious benefactor. She returned directly to her transport and cleaned all her gear, shivering with the realization she had just single-handedly killed ten people. She stopped and clenched her hands as they started to tremble, telling herself over and over again that they were slavers and would have taken all one-hundred some townspeople had she not intervened. She knew it had been the right thing to do, but still couldn't stop the tears when they started to fall.

Waking the next morning from a dream, Riana bolted out of bed and drew a calming breath when she woke fully and realized she was onboard her ship. She went about her normal routine, double-checked her gear and then sat down to send a short note to Ryati about what had happened. The act of telling someone else about it and explaining her reasons to another seemed to bring the calm she was looking for. She knew Ryati would approve, as would any commando assigned to House T'Soni, because it was _right_. She shook herself and got up and once again headed out to the wilds of Eden Prime to find something fresh for dinner. She spent the rest of her five months in peaceful, quiet solitude and that was fine by her. No slavers returned; none came looking for their fallen comrades. Riana was happy when it came time to move to Chasca in the spring.

* * *

><p><strong>2179 - Chasca, Maroon Sea<strong>

For Riana, Chasca was a welcome change. The 'organic friendly' portion consisted of a relatively narrow yet still vast band of wilderness that encircled the planet at its equator on the border between its two poles, one of constant scorching hot day and the other encapsulated in never changing frozen darkness. It was too soon after the Alliance anti-pirate campaign for anything new to have taken seed and developed, so Riana was free to wander the garden loop around the entire planet's circumference. Not a single colony had yet been established, though she did have to dodge the occasional mining survey team and one relatively large herd of space cows, but other than that, she was alone. There was only one dig site on the planet, but in her wanderings, Riana did mark the coordinates of a couple of interesting caves that she felt would merit further investigation, showing signs of ancient habitation. Whether it was Protheans, pirates or some other long lost race, Riana did not know; nor did she care to venture alone into a dark cavern, considering no one knew she was even there.

After the first two months, things started to get boring, so even knowing she shouldn't risk it, she started checking in on the pyramid site where Liara was working. It was the first time Riana observed Liara at work in the field, so the commando found it very educational. She was pleased to note Liara had a good field sense about her, and Riana felt a chill run down her spine one time when Liara stopped what she was doing and stared directly at her hiding spot. Riana watched various expressions run across the young Asari's face and could tell she was questioning her instincts. Riana marked the event, already knowing that when this was all over she would tell her young charge she had been dead on and needed to trust her gut. When all else failed, it might buy her a little bit of time; maybe just enough to get herself out of a jam.

Once Riana had started studying Liara's habits in the field, the time passed quickly and with fall soon upon them, it was once again time to move. Liara's last stop proved to be the biggest challenge for Riana. Quana had no moons to hide on, and the totally inhospitable environment meant if something happened, Riana would most likely be too far away to help Liara anyway. It made her extremely anxious about the last leg in the student's journey. She finally decided to simply float in space until Liara's locator beacon settled in one spot; Riana assumed that was their new base of operations. Once she had coordinates, Riana plotted a relatively remote location away from the ruins and just past line of site over the horizon, circled the planet to approach from the opposite direction in order to avoid detection and settled her craft down amidst the rubble and rock that dotted the surface. She relied on the planet's own high density and high concentration of heavy metals to mask any signature from her ship, which was running on life support power only to minimize the risk of detection. Riana spent most of her waking hours practicing her martial arts forms and blade work. By the time they left Quana, she had run through every kata and form of every martial arts style she knew, as well as repaired and cleaned every piece of gear she had with her to the point of being better than new.

* * *

><p><strong>Spring, 2180 - T'Soni House Armali, Thessia<strong>

Riana was never so happy as when she intercepted the transmission that officially ended the dig in the spring of 2180. With her small craft, it was easy to beat the cumbersome research vessel to the relay and arrive back in Thessia with plenty of time to spare. She met Liara at the Armali space port, with Mistress T'Soni and the University of Serrice none the wiser to Riana's activities over the last two and a half years.

Riana had her suspicions that things were not right on the home front; she hadn't heard from Ryati since her off-world travel with Liara had begun. Even so, she was shocked to discover no one in the entire house had heard from _anyone_ who had gone with the matriarch since Benezia had sent her last missive to Liara before they had left Eden Prime. Riana realized the matriarch had said she would be out of touch, but sixteen months of no communiqués was a bit excessive, even by Asari standards. She immediately stepped forward and placed her hand on the young Asari's shoulder in comfort. "Mistress. The likelihood that something happened to all fourteen and we've heard nothing is highly unlikely. Even less so than something happening to the matriarch and not one of the others reporting the incident back."

As she felt the tension ease slightly in Liara's shoulders, Riana shifted her focus to the house steward. "Have you sent out an emergency contact request?"

Riana was tired after the stress and boredom of Quana, but after hearing Aratiana's reply, the missing Matriarch and thirteen commandos took precedence over everything. As soon as she formulated the plan in her mind, she turned back to Liara, "Mistress. You've had a long journey and been gone from Thessia a long time. Get yourself settled and get something other than field rations in your system and let me work. I will report to you the moment I have anything at all."

Riana immediately recognized the fear and doubt running across the maiden's face and smiled gently as she spoke to reassure her relatively young charge. "Please, Mistress. Being your First is what I have trained to do for over twenty years. I have trained as a commando for almost eighty. Let me do my job."

An embarrassed Liara fought back tears as she wrung her hands in distress over the situation with her mother, even as she apologized. Riana reached over and stilled her worrying hands. "That is why I am here. I leave you in Aratiana's capable hands and I will go find Livos. We'll get to the bottom of this, I promise you. Call me if you need me."

Riana went directly to her old team lead, Livos Tanni, now Captain of the House Armali commandos. Livos stood quickly and met Riana at the door, giving her a big hug. "Riana! Where by the Goddess have you been? It's great to see you!"

Riana gave her a very quick summary of her activities and promised a more in-depth rendition of the story as soon as the current crisis was handled. Livos shook her head in dismay. "I honestly don't know what else to do. I've sent two contact requests, both with no response. I've queried both Councilor Tevos and the Humans at Arcturus Station. No one's seen her, Ri. I've lost the Goddess-be-damned Matriarch of House T'Soni."

Riana sat across the table from her old friend and watched the pain flicker across her face, knowing she had to say something to offer comfort. "Shit, Liv. That's not on you. Your job is to keep the house secure while they're gone, and you've done that just fine. She left here with the best House T'Soni has to offer. You didn't lose her. If something's happened, it was something none of us could have done a thing about. Besides, a matriarch as powerful as Benezia and thirteen of the best damned commandos on Thessia don't go down without making a whole lot of noise. They're still out there somewhere; I know it. We just gotta figure out how to find them."

Livos shook her head. "I don't know how. I've looked at everything. I've tracked her movements, I've followed the house accounts to see if she's pulled money to pay transit fares or buy supplies... nothing."

Riana started thinking out loud. "Training funds?"

"Untouched."

"How about the end of year gear stipend account?" Riana looked up hopefully.

"Nope. She hasn't touched that either." Livos looked exasperated.

Grasping at straws, Riana offered her last idea. "The Special Ops account?"

Livos face went blank for a second before she ran her hand over the top of her crests before cussing and putting her hands to the system interface. "I forgot we even had that one, and it purposely doesn't come up on the normal credit account listings! Damn, Riana! Good thinking."

After a few moments, Livos face showed extreme relief. "She moved money just last week to a private account in her name and then on to some Investment Broker named Barla Von on the Citadel." Livos laughed. "She tried to hide it in her private account but forgot we have a secondary tag built into the ops account, purposely to track money laundering activities and smugglers back to their home origin accounts. Thank the Goddess Benezia did this herself instead of Rel or Shiala. They would have converted it to a credit chit for redeposit in another institution to avoid the trace."

"No. Benezia's too sharp for that." Riana puzzled on it for just a moment before finishing her thought. "She wanted us to know she did it. She's telling us she's alive, but doesn't want us to follow it to the end game."

Livos eyes opened wide for a second. "That actually makes a whole lot of sense. She's doesn't want us going anywhere near where ever she is. She said her mission was going to be dangerous and she wants us to stay right where we are; here protecting the house... and keeping Liara safe."

Riana did some quick background checks through the system, searching for Barla Von and found nothing. She immediately called up the Citadel directory and got a contact number for Barla Von's office to find out what he knew. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to provide at least a minimum of comfort. Benezia was most definitely alive.

* * *

><p>Riana didn't think it possible, but after her thesis defenses were complete, Liara got even busier as she made frequent trips to the Thessia Guildhall to finalize personnel rosters, security teams and pick team leads for the Therum expedition. She also worked with the grant administrators to determine from the minimal information available just which of the many sites on Therum were worthy of the attentions of one of the three research teams going. Riana could tell Liara felt somewhat uncomfortable as the Director instead of a single-site team lead, but as much as the heir-apparent hated to admit it, all the lessons her mother had taught her about running multiple locations under House T'Soni actually paid off. Truth be told, she actually <em>was<em> born to do just what she was doing.

If Liara was busy, Riana was even more so, having to make all the security and travel arrangements and still stay one step of an incredibly excited and eager Dr T'Soni. Eventually, things slowed down a bit as the established team leaders took over the detail planning for each of their own projects, only subject to Liara's final approval.

* * *

><p><strong>Spring, 2181 - Therum, Artemis Tau<strong>

Riana made final arrangements for the transit to Therum and before they knew it, Janiris was over and they were on their way to Nova Yekaterinburg, the capital of Therum. There, they would pick up the Eldfell-Ashland Energy mining facility guides to direct them to their final destinations and make all the necessary introductions. Dr T'Soni, Riana and the team leads started their tour at the main mining facility on the outskirts of the capital, which was _not_ one of the dig sites; it had been occupied since the colony's founding in 2167 and had long since been stripped of any archaeologically significant artifacts. It did, however, house the corporate office in the event they had difficulty at any of the three sites, along with a small necessities exchange where they could purchase camp supplies at incredibly outrageous prices, as well as a small bar, rather seedy in appearance, at least from the outside. Liara made a point of reiterating to her team leads the bar was off-limits to all research personnel. They were then shown all three working locations and introduced to the site foreman at each.

When they were done with the individual tours, each team lead went to their respective site foreman and got the full rundown on how their particular facility worked, including where the research teams would bunk, local safety procedures, the works. The site foreman would remain, but the miners had been relocated to other sites on Therum for the duration of the expedition, which was an open-ended contract. As long as the sites continued to produce artifacts deemed 'significant' by the experts back on Thessia, the Guildhall would continue to pay the annual renewal fees for each of the sites' research permits. Once a site ceased production, the renewals would cease and that particular team would be disbanded. The personnel would pack up and head back to Thessia unless someone held a particular specialty needed at one of the other sites.

The team leads were all eager to get started and Liara was busier than ever for the next couple of weeks, constantly traveling between the three sites and the corporate headquarters as the staff arrived for each site and the normal start-up issues were brought up and resolved to everyone's satisfaction. Once each of the teams found their rhythm, Liara started spending at least a week at each site, moving early only when another team found an item of value or needed her additional expertise to identify some mystery object. Riana was her constant shadow, always in trail and always paying attention to what was going on around her as Liara focused her attention completely on the task at hand. At the end of the first year, they took a two-week break for Janiris and one site had already tapped out; the facility much smaller than what they had anticipated based on the original findings. The only person singled out to return with the teams after the holiday was a demolitions expert who had a knack for precision small-scale blasting with the least collateral damage. There was also a few other personnel changes; students who only worked one semester to fill a research requirement as Liara had done a few times, or folks who just plain decided working all day in a dark mine wasn't for them and opted to leave. The few second-year vacancies they had were easily filled by folks from the team that was released.

As they entered the second year, almost everyone was comfortable in the work environment and into a routine, including Riana, who found the competence of the EAE security teams very satisfactory. Because of that, Liara began to send Riana on short errands that she wouldn't normally have trusted with anyone else, either to run something important to the other site or to deliver some high-value object to the port for shipment to the Guildhall. The trust Riana placed in the EAE security allowed Liara to keep working at whatever task she was tackling at that particular point in time while Riana traveled. Riana also occasionally got the job of fetching some team member who had broken the off-limits boundaries and ended up at the bar. They didn't leave it to the EAE security, because Riana evaluated their fitness to return to work. If she wasn't satisfied with their attitude, Riana escorted them straight to their lockers to pack up their stuff, and _then_ handed them over to EAE to make sure they got to the port authorities and on the next transport out, all privileges and pay suspended until they reported back to the Guildhall. Once or twice someone managed to slip the authorities and attempt to return to work, but Riana always found them again. After a couple of those, the port police started putting them in lock-up until their transport was ready to leave, escorting them personally to the door of the departing vessel.

They were barely starting the third year when the second site suddenly tapped out. Ultrasonic mapping and ground penetrating radar had shown a huge additional chamber with various other doorways leading to yet more rooms, but once the last obstacle was cleared and they opened the way into the chamber they were incredibly disappointed. The multiple entries into the room had proven its downfall. It was immediately obvious that at least one, if not more, of the connecting passages led to an open exterior entrance, and the remaining portions of the dig site had already been thoroughly and completely looted. The Guildhall funded one additional month to allow time to map the facility and look for any potentially untouched new areas, but the mapping was completed quickly and the various passageways yielded no results. Since they were already into their third year, Liara had previously filled all the vacancies for the one remaining team. All she could do was thank them for their hard work and dedicated effort and send them on their way.

Riana had just finished shuttling the last of the second team to the port with all their belongings when the colonial warning sirens started going off. She immediately ran to the port authority security office and asked what was going on. The Human behind the desk was hurriedly putting all his combat gear on as he shouted. "Hell if I know! We've gotten scattered reports from a number of the mine locations that they're being hit by Krogan mercenaries with heavy mechs. It makes no sense... sounds almost like the Blood Pack and the Blue Suns are working together to take down the whole EAE operation here, but I just can't imagine them working together! All I know is they've called us forward to defend the main site and the headquarters!"

Riana listened in stunned silence to the report, then turned and ran to her transport. She jumped in and fired the engines; she had barely gotten off the ground when a huge, four-legged robotic cannon launched a siege pulse at her. She had no upward velocity yet, so all she could do was cut thrusters. As the transport bounced hard off the ground, she fired the thrusters again to no effect. She cussed, quickly grabbed her bag of travel gear and exited the transport, realizing it was now nothing but a large target. She ran to an alley and pulled everything out of the bag, quickly donning all her gear. Fortunately she was well practiced and the entire process took less than a minute. Even so, in the time it took, her transport had been reduced to rubble. She dodged and fought her way back to the security station and grabbed a key to one of the ground vehicles. Until those four-legged monsters were dealt with, nothing was going to get in the air, and she didn't have time to wait.

With a ground vehicle, she easily avoided the major defensive points and finally broke free of their perimeter around the capital. She started making better time, but knew that with ground travel, a twenty minute flight turned into a two day trip of weaving between rivers of lava from the 'mostly dormant' volcano, assuming no roadblocks or diversions. She swore at herself for leaving Liara's defense to EAE security. All kinds of thoughts ran rampant through her mind, primarily focused on the EAE personnel defending the mine instead of the research camp. If anything happened to Mistress Liara, Riana would never be able to forgive herself for such a breach of operating procedures. Two years of no incidents had made her complacent; if they both somehow survived this, it would never happen again.

Riana hadn't used it in a while, but she activated her omnitool and turned on the beacon locator for Liara. It pulsed strong and steady, and Riana breathed a small sigh of relief. At least the main chamber hadn't yet been compromised. As she pushed the throttles to the max to get back to the site as quick as she could, she thought about the robots that had been firing at her. They were like no mech she had ever seen and highly doubted they had anything at all to do with the Blue Suns. Her real concern was the Krogan that were supposedly commanding them. Who in their right minds would give the Krogan that kind of technology?

Time passed and the road passed quickly beneath her tires, her mind immediately diverted from her contemplations as she cruised at max speed over the last mountain barrier before the dig site. Her blood ran cold at the sight of red hot lava shooting into the sky and she banked hard to the right and skidded to a stop. Obviously, the long dormant volcano they had been working in was no longer sleeping. Explosions from the attack had somehow shifted the balance and the deadly giant had awakened. Riana stood up through the Transport's top gun hatch and watched the red carpet of death as it oozed from the mountain. As Liara's transponder signal suddenly fell deafeningly silent, the roar of engines caught her attention and she was momentarily distracted by the visage of a sleek blue and white frigate rising out of the smoke and ash. Her uncomprehending eyes managed to take in the words printed on the side of the hull, SSV Normandy SR1, before they returned to the red flowing death. Riana realized that Liara T'Soni, the entire purpose behind her existence, had literally just been swallowed by the mountain. Riana returned to the driver's seat and killed the engines. Eventually the eruptions stopped and the lava turned slowly darker as it cooled. The sun set, even though its light had long ago been swallowed by the smoke and ash. Riana sat in stunned denial, simply staring at the mountain as the lava's red embers slowly faded to black.

* * *

><p><strong>Spring, 2183 - SSV Normandy SR1<strong>

Liara sat in her tiny room behind the med bay and stared at the terminal. _Is it truly connected to the extranet? Can I honestly get to my messages? _Liara tentatively typed in the site address, surprised when it popped up. "Goddess!"

She quickly typed in her credentials and all her messages magically appeared, just as Doctor Chakwas had told her they would. She was amazed that she wasn't locked in a cell, even if only for her own protection; it seemed that the doctor and the commander were the only two people on the entire ship who didn't want to shoot her on sight. She didn't care if someone on the ship was reading what she was sending... she had to at least try to let someone from the House know where she was. She quickly typed a short text.

_Riana, _

_By the Goddess, I hope this finds you well. Can you believe it? Geth beyond the Veil! I was pulled from certain death by an Alliance commander and am now on her ship, the SSV Normandy SR1. I know not what their intentions are, but as you would say, I am alive, so all is not lost. I believe myself to be quite safe, but you must get to the Citadel quickly and talk with Counselor Tevos about my situation as well as my Mother's. They are saying she is working with a rogue Spectre and has committed treason! That she helped destroy a human colony! I must learn the truth of the matter!_

_Athame's blessing that we are both alive!_

_Liara_

* * *

><p><strong>Therum, Artemis Tau<strong>

Riana had no idea when it had happened or how long she'd been asleep, but she had a horrible catch in her neck from falling asleep sitting up in the driver's seat. The annoying beep from her omnitool made her want to smash it into pieces. She was really in no mood to talk to anyone, but figured it was probably someone from the House trying to ascertain their status. She was sure the attack on Therum was probably all over the Galactic News Network. She finally growled and managed to focus her eyes on the incoming message. All her evil and angry thoughts fled in an instant, the cramp in her neck forgotten as she leapt up from the chair. "By the merciful Goddess! Mistress Liara!"

She reread the message four times before it really sunk in. She fired up the engines and immediately slammed the Transport into gear to return to the space port. She had orders to go to the Citadel and she was damn well going to do it. She was going to do whatever it took to get Liara back home safely... Even if that meant taking on the entire Citadel Council or the SSV Normandy.


	12. To Sail on a Dream

Notes:

Keloupe - small Thessian single-mast sailing sloop

Nathak - Large wolf-like creature that lives in the frigid snows of colder planets with an oxygen-based atmosphere.

* * *

><p><strong>To Sail on a Dream<strong>

**1910 - Maiden Voyage Interstellar Museum, Dassus, Thessia**

"I assure you, Matron. My daughter is not lost."

The exasperated instructor huffed. "How can you be so certain, Matron Voni? I have been searching for her for over an hour!"

Daenia Voni laughed. "Because I am her mother and I have brought her here at least a dozen times. She is fascinated by everything here and knows this place better than her own back yard."

Comforted by the parent's apparent lack of concern, the teacher got a bit of a smile on her face. "Now I know you are exaggerating. How is that possible?"

Daenia grinned. "Because there are no ships in our backyard, so she spends more time here and at the shipyard with her father than anywhere else on the planet! I was hoping school would broaden her horizons and she would find friends or other interests to dispel her seemingly single-minded dream."

"Which is?" Now the instructor was intrigued by what could possibly so capture a twenty-year-old imagination.

"To take to the stars." Daenia shook her head, a wisp of sadness in her voice as she continued. "She's barely started school and already dreams of leaving home, as if her father won't leave me soon enough."

"Ah yes. You're bonded to a Salarian, aren't you? Excellent intellect, wonderful reasoning skills; a good choice, I think, but don't worry about your daughter." The instructor smiled reassuringly. "Mine went through a number of career choices, absolutely positive each of them was what she wanted to be for _forever_. Yet, by the time she graduated primary she had left each and every one behind. She is now in secondary for accounting, of all things. Now, her life's ambition is to become a house steward for one of the great houses of Thessia."

"I wish I could count on that, but Judea seems singularly focused. The only hope we have is that she also likes visiting the yard with her father every chance she gets, so perhaps she will become a designer or builder instead of a pilot." Daenia suddenly stopped. "Oh, Goddess. I'll bet I know where she is!"

The instructor stopped with her and cocked her head in question as Daenia continued. "Her father will have a fit if I'm right. I just have to hope she didn't break anything getting in."

The instructor's eyes opened wide at that comment. "Getting in _where_?"

"The cockpit of the _Maiden Voyage_!"

The instructor blanched. "No. She couldn't." The words were spoken in denial, but her pale coloring belied the fear that lay behind her next words. "She _wouldn't_! That ship is practically a holy relic from the age of exploration! It's the first Asari interstellar vessel and if she's broken anything, the school will be held responsible! I... I could lose my job!"

"No you won't. If anything's happened, her father and I will take complete responsibility. Hold on just a moment." Daenia opened her omnitool and typed a simple message. _Get out of that ship right now and meet me at the crew quarter's display. _She pressed send and looked at the instructor. "She should be here momentarily, one way or another."

It was only a few minutes before a very embarrassed Judea came running up and slid to a stop in front of her mother. She didn't say a word, just stood before the two adults and hung her head. Daenia scowled. "Did you close everything up _just_ the way you found it?"

Judea didn't even bother trying to deny where she had been. Her voice was a tight whisper when she answered. "Yes, Ma'am."

"You didn't break anything?"

"No, Ma'am." Judea risked a glance up to see just how much trouble she was in and the fire in her mother's eyes didn't bode well for her when they got home. She let out a deep sigh and looked at her instructor. "I'm sorry, Matron Shapso."

The instructor took a deep breath to calm down a bit before speaking. "You should be. That ship is old and the instruments are very fragile. There were none other of its class ever built, so if you broke anything it would be irreplaceable. It is an important part of our heritage, not your private playground. I'm afraid you need to leave with your mother. You will not be allowed to continue the rest of the field day."

Judea opened her mouth to protest, but she was cut off by her mother before she uttered a single syllable. "Not a word, Judea Voni! We have told you repeatedly you would never be allowed inside that vessel, so you decided to sneak in instead, taking advantage of Matron Shapso and the fact that she had twenty students to watch. It is both disobedient and disrespectful... to everyone involved. Your father is going to be livid... and I am most _certainly_ going to tell him."

The protest instantly died on Judea's lips because she knew exactly what that meant. It meant she wouldn't be seeing the inside of the shipyard or the museum for at least a month. She would be confined to the house and her studies and unless she got an assignment from school requiring something special, her parents would make no exceptions. Having a Salarian father could be fun, but he was a stickler for the rules and when she violated them, there was generally no forgiveness.

* * *

><p>After Soldan Risolar read the message from his bondmate, Daenia, he blinked in dissatisfaction and altered the programmed destination so the skycar would head directly home. So much for heading to the store to pick up the most advanced ship model they had in stock. Taking it apart so he and Judea could install the flight components into their latest design project would have to wait for a future weekend. As the car settled onto the parking pad, Judea exploded out of her room only to be cut off by her mother. "Not a chance, little one. Grounded is grounded. Back to your room until I call you for dinner."<p>

Any thoughts of protest were cut off by a glare from her mother that could freeze a Nathak; Judea slunk back to her room to avoid any possible extensions on her punishment. Soldan entered the house quickly and went directly to Daenia, giving her a swift kiss. "Striking as ever, Daenia. I take it our delinquent tadpole is confined to her room?"

"Yes. She seemed particularly eager to greet you tonight, but she didn't push. She knows she's already in enough trouble with her little stunt today." Dae rolled her eyes. "I can't believe she actually got into the cockpit."

"Yes. Yes. We sent a specialty team over to verify intrusion and ensure no damage was done. Surprised. Everything was as it should be and even... clean." He recognized the confused look on his bondmate's face, so explained. "Judea cleaned the cockpit. Dusted. Wiped down all the instruments and controls. It was spotless. She took tremendous care. Amazing."

After Daenia got over the surprise, she actually laughed. "It's a fight to get her to clean her room, yet she spends an hour cleaning the entire cockpit of the _Maiden Voyage_?"

Soldan's eyes opened wide and he flashed a smile. "Yes. With remarkable attention to detail."

Daenia smiled and laid her hand on Soldan's arm. "She gets that from you... along with her intellect and violet skin tone."

Even though most Salarians don't possess much of a sex drive, that didn't prevent Soldan from being affected by Daenia's charms. He had insufficient standing on Sur'Kesh to ever have any type of chance at a Salarian breeding contract, so had been ecstatic when they crossed paths and Daenia had expressed an interest. He was undeniably attracted to her and he stroked her hand gently in return. "And she gets her grace and beauty from you, especially your beautiful golden eyes. Very unusual trait, even among Asari. I am... pleased you selected as you did during the mapping of my genome. Excellent choice."

Dae smiled, knowing even from Soldan such a compliment was a rare thing. "Thank you, love. Now, what was our daughter so eager to see you about?"

"Ah. I was supposed to purchase a new model so we could utilize its flight-enabling equipment to test our latest ship design. When I received your message I came straight home, so she will be disappointed. There will be no such flight testing in her immediate future. "

Daenia frowned. "Soldan. I know you look forward to that time as much as she does... and your years grow short." Her hand ran smoothly down the side of his face to his chin. "I think you should buy them and do it anyway. I'm sure you can make her understand how wrong her actions were without punishing the both of you for them and taking away from the limited time you have remaining with her."

"Yes. I doubt very much that I will see even her twenty-fifth birthday. I suppose there might be a way." He blinked rapidly for a few moments as he assimilated what Dae had said. "Perhaps as a reward for treating the _Maiden Voyage _with such care. Her entrance into the restricted zone was wrong, but she did treat the vessel with the utmost care and respect it deserves. Yes. I believe I can see my way to make an exception just this once."

"Good. So maybe you can do it next weekend." Dae smiled softly at her bondmate. "But the rest of her punishment stays intact for the remainder of the month?"

"Absolutely, Daenia. The child must learn that sudden impulses can have dire effects when time is not taken to consider potential detrimental effects." Soldan flashed a smile and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Though, if I were in her place, I probably would have done the same. If not for the fact that it would encourage such behavior, I'd ask her if it was worth it. I imagine her reasoned response would be yes."

Daenia closed her eyes and ran a hand over her crests in frustration. "You're probably correct... on all counts." A light smile returned to her face. "But again, that's her father coming out. Your brilliance and determination to accomplish your goals were certainly in the DNA mix. Now go talk to your daughter and get ready for dinner; you've got about twenty minutes."

* * *

><p><strong>1951 - Dassus, Thessia<strong>

Judea and Daenia were at the lake enjoying a beautiful day together. Judea loved the water and sailed frequently, easily mastering the small Keloupe that was popular among the sailors of Dassus. Her face was glowing as she guided it expertly into the berth, barely bumping as she coasted the craft to a stop without the aid of biotics. As they tied the vessel to the pier, Judea looked at Dae and sighed. "Momma? I've decided that I want to go to Dassus Tech for Astronautical Engineering."

Dae's forehead crinkled in thought and she was silent as she finished her mooring knot. When she was done, she sat back on her haunches and looked at her daughter, trying to read her face. "Judea. You've dreamed of being an interstellar pilot since you were twenty... What changed your mind?"

Judea's face picked up a whisper of a smile. "Dad."

Daenia was shocked at the response and wasn't quite sure what to say. "Your father's been dead for over thirty-five years. How does he have anything to do with this?"

"The last couple of years he was with us, he really passed on a lot of information and ideas for future designs that would be so much better than the ships we have now." Judea smiled. "He had such limited time and he spent so much of it with me." A tear slipped down Judea's cheek as she continued. "He loved you as best as he knew how, Momma, and one of his last requests was that I not leave you alone before you are over the grief of his loss."

Dae stared at her daughter in shock. She finally stood and walked over, drawing Judea up and into a hug. "Goddess. It was not right for him to put such a burden on one so young."

"It is no burden to stay with you for a while; I have a thousand years, Momma. Plenty of time to do more than one thing, and it will be an honor to complete Dad's work and see his ideas turn into the Asari's next generation of starships." Judea smiled and pushed her mother back so she could see her face. "And it does not mean I will not get my license. Just as I learned to sail while in Primary, I will learn to fly while in Secondary. A lot of the engineers do it. It provides them with a true understanding of how their designs will actually work in the cockpit instead of just in theory."

Tears ran down Daenia's cheeks as she hugged Judea tightly. "How did I get a daughter such as you?"

Judea laughed. "You're the one who mapped Dad's genetic code and _you're_ asking _me_?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I want to add a special "Thank You!" for my new Beta reader, **Old Gamer**! A tremendous help in keeping this story on schedule, along with starting my newest Chronicles of Samantha Shepard installment, Could Not Wait for Death!


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